Winnipeg | Portage and Main

[Mr Tall Forehead]

Are the blue areas on three of the four corners the current accesses to the underground...and if so, what happens to them? Assuming they will stay open until the concourse is closed?

[bomberjet]

Ya those are the entrances.

It's not a small amount of work to reconfigure, especially that corner as they're reconfig's the traffic lanes.

Are the barriers coming down completely? Or just being cut open to allow people through?

[Biff]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Are the barriers coming down completely? Or just being cut open to allow people through?

Removed, waterproofed and then install sidewalk and curb. There is also mention of some bollards in places.

[bomberjet]

I'm slightly confused by the whole thing. Are they implementing all the fancy pictures from the recent studies?

So after all that studying, traffic nightmare, transit nightmare. We're simply opening the corners with minor change to lane configuration?

Will it be pedestrian nightmare now? Or like what will happen when BRT comes through there. Blow it all up again? Is the underground closing?

[anthonyk]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I'm slightly confused by the whole thing. Are they implementing all the fancy pictures from the recent studies?

So after all that studying, traffic nightmare, transit nightmare. We're simply opening the corners with minor change to lane configuration?

This is a temporary [i.e. permanent] fix to ensure its open to pedestrians for the restructured transit network that goes into service next summer. Final design is to be determined.

[Biff]

My understanding is that the current concrete barriers have considerable leak issues and need to be removed. They are going with an easy and relatively cheap solution to remove the barriers, waterproof the damaged areas and replace with curbing and new traffic and pedestrian signalization. This low cost project will allow the intersection to be open to pedestrians. This does not address the significant issue of the underground water issues in the Portage and Main Circus. That will need to be addressed with a much larger budget and or maybe the closing and infill of the facility in the future.

[1ajs]

closing the underground would be a huge short sited mistake

[trueviking]

^ they won't...it just won't be the city paying to keep it open.

looks like no more right turn from main to portage east.

[trueviking]

they should ban the left turn from main to bannatyne.....that creates a big line up that slows portage and main.

[FactaNV]

Looks like the City is relocating the Great War memorial statue in front of the Bank of Montreal to Brookfield Cemetery. What a shame. Apparently there isn't room for it there once the renewal of P&M is complete but that statue should remain prominent and not somewhere that most of the city will never see it.

[ColdRain&Snow]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

Looks like the City is relocating the Great War memorial statue in front of the Bank of Montreal to Brookfield Cemetery. What a shame. Apparently there isn't room for it there once the renewal of P&M is complete but that statue should remain prominent and not somewhere that most of the city will never see it.

Surely they could find somewhere more prominent for it than a cemetery by the airport.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by ColdRain&Snow

Surely they could find somewhere more prominent for it than a cemetery by the airport.

Exactly. At least on the Legislative Grounds or along Memorial Blvd by the Central Cenotaph. Seems disrespectful to hide a beautiful statue commemorating our martial heritage.

[WinCitySparky]

No shit, that’s so weak!

[cllew]

Originally Posted by ColdRain&Snow

Surely they could find somewhere more prominent for it than a cemetery by the airport.

Probably the Winnipeg public service thought that because the Brookside Cemetery's Field of Honour has the oldest / largest Military interment site in Canada that a military statue commemorating the loss of Bank of Montreal employee's in World War 1 may be a good fit if it has to be moved somewhere from it current location.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by cllew

Probably somebody in the Winnipeg public service thought that because the Brookside Cemetery Field of Honour has the oldest / largest Military interment site in Canada that a military statue may be a good fit.

Granted but to relocate a well-known landmark commemorating our fallen to somewhere almost noone will see it is uncool in my opinion. It's an "if a tree falls in the woods" scenario. Canadians are almost never exposed to our military history and the current military as it is, this only lessens the visibility further.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

Granted but to relocate a well-known landmark commemorating our fallen to somewhere almost noone will see it is uncool in my opinion. It's an "if a tree falls in the woods" scenario. Canadians are almost never exposed to our military history and the current military as it is, this only lessens the visibility further.

Apparently the Field of Honour gets a fair amount of people coming there interested in military history.

City of Winnipeg web site says they have ongoing tours and events there through out the year. There was big one in the evening of Sept 10/24 as part of Winnipeg 150 events.

I can't remember if its this location or the smaller field of honour in Transcona Cemetery that gets bus loads of school kids each year before Nov 11 to get a historical tour from military veterans.

[zalf]

Originally Posted by cllew

Apparently the Field of Honour gets a fair amount of people coming there interested in military history.

Sort of preaching to the choir then.

I think the Legislative grounds would be idea. Assiniboine Park, alternatively.

[bomberjet]

It's not 'just a cemetery by the airport'. Like ya it's not a public square. But have some respect.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by zalf

Sort of preaching to the choir then.

I think the Legislative grounds would be idea. Assiniboine Park, alternatively.

I can see some community activist groups complaining that the monument would be "militarizing" those two locations.

Maybe it would be a good fit in front of Minto Armoury or Lieutenant-Colonel Harcus Strachan, VC, MC Armoury (aka McGregor Armoury). The Canadian Armed Forces would probably be willing to accept it for display for its historic value.

Or if more viability is desired maybe in the green space around Ness & Conway by 17 Wing. The is already the static jet display there so there would be a bit of a military tie in.

[zalf]

I mean, we don't have to cave to whoever is loudest on twitter.