Portage and Main to reopen to pedestrians for first time in 46 years Friday

CTV’s Jeff Keele has the latest on the major changes coming to downtown Winnipeg this week.

The barricades are gone, the crosswalks are painted, and Portage and Main is set to officially reopen to pedestrians for the first time in 46 years on Friday.

“I think there’s a lot of curiosity right now,” said Downtown Biz CEO Kate Fenske.

The project to transform the intersection began last November. Mayor Scott Gillingham and city council voted for the opening as cost estimates predicted it would be cheaper than fixing the existing underground concourse.

“We have to ask ourselves a question, what decision do Winnipeggers 20 years from now need us to make today,” said Gillingham.

It appears some pedestrians aren’t waiting until Friday. As of Monday, temporary roadblocks were in place blocking access to the crosswalks. CTV News observed several people walking around them and crossing the intersection, which is not yet safe to do so as the proper traffic signals are not yet operational.

John Chabot was one of those impatient pedestrians.

“I’m going to walk across here even though I’m not supposed to,” said Chabot.

Chabot visits Winnipeg a few times a year and said it’s about time he can walk across.

“It’s a bit of a pain to go underneath all of the time or walk a couple blocks down to get over it,” he said. “(This) just makes it a little more easier.”

Many pedestrians agree, Friday is long overdue. Still some people have safety concerns about mixing cars and pedestrians at the busy intersection. Others question how this will impact traffic flow.

“I’m on the fence, we’ll see how much time it takes because this is my regular commute,” said one driver.

The opening is in lockstep with another major change, the new transit system goes into effect Sunday.