Winnipeg Construction

[roccerfeller]

I dunno if this has been posted or discussed, but from a news/press release with the city:

http://winnipeg.ca/cao/media/news/nr_2011/nr_20110421.stm#2

WINNIPEG - April 21, 2011 - To 'celebrate' the first year anniversary of City Council's endorsed list of Building Canada priority projects, Mayor Sam Katz is today calling upon the Provincial government again to please stop stalling on the remaining 10 infrastructure projects and move forward to fix our crumbling infrastructure.

In April 2010, City Council voted to endorse the following infrastructure projects as City of Winnipeg priorities for intergovernmental funding through the Building Canada Fund:

Kenaston Boulevard widening between Taylor Avenue and Academy Road
Polo Park Area street and intersection improvements
Plessis Road Twinning with grade separation at CNR Rail Line
Regional Streets major rehabilitation
Chief Peguis West extension from Main Street to McPhillips Avenue
St. Anne's Road twinning from Aldgate to the Perimeter
Keewatin Street north of Inkster Boulevard expansion to four lanes
Pembina Highway underpass at Jubilee Avenue
Inkster Boulevard road reconstruction from Keewatin Street to Brookside Boulevard
Community Centre Investment Fund Contribution
Extension of the Pembina Highway active transportation network from Jubilee Avenue to the University of Manitoba, with a transit hub at the University of Manitoba.
"It appears that to see action on fixing our infrastructure, all it takes is a Federal election and the endorsement of a Conservative candidate by a City Councillor," said Mayor Sam Katz. "As City Council has already made its infrastructure priorities abundantly clear, we'd again ask the Province to stop blockading these projects and work positively with the Federal government and the City of Winnipeg to find solutions, not photo-ops, for the betterment of our citizens."

"The total money available in Building Canada for Winnipeg is $189 million shared equally between all levels of government and the longer it takes for the Province to take action the more those dollars will shrink and impair our ability to fix our crumbling infrastructure," said Councillor Jeff Browaty, Chair of Property and Development. "For every year the Province drags it's heals on these projects, construction prices continue to skyrocket at a 6% annual rate of construction inflation. That means they've already effectively blown 11 million dollars with their delay so far."

Info regarding the Building Canada Fund, available until 2014, is available at:

http://www.buildingcanada-chantierscanad...ret/booklet-livret09-eng.html#bcfund-mic

This is a neat release from a road construction process, and I'd like to discuss some of these road constructions:

- Kenaston Boulevard widening between Taylor Avenue and Academy Road How does this happen? I drive down here all the time and the traffic is horrendous but it doesn't seem like there is much room to widen
- Polo Park Area street and intersection improvements I hope there are some serious traffic flow improvements, this are is traffic heavy and there isnt a lot of room for lane expansions. Perhaps someone can explain what these improvements could be? Quicker traffic lights?
- Plessis Road Twinning with grade separation at CNR Rail Line & St. Anne's Road twinning from Aldgate to the Perimeter Don't know this area, but it appears to be a major intersection in the South East, someone from the area want to pine in?
- Regional Streets major rehabilitation I think this goes without question
- Chief Peguis West extension from Main Street to McPhillips Avenue Personally, I am happy this is being taken seriously and not going to end up taking another 20 years to build
- Keewatin Street north of Inkster Boulevard expansion to four lanes This is good for the area, tons of development in that area
- Pembina Highway underpass at Jubilee Avenue I don't understand this...is there not a) already and underpass and b) was there not already revitalization done on the overpass? Is this perhaps a lane expansion (its currently 2 lanes I believe)
- Inkster Boulevard road reconstruction from Keewatin Street to Brookside Boulevard
- Community Centre Investment Fund Contribution
- Extension of the Pembina Highway active transportation network from Jubilee Avenue to the University of Manitoba, with a transit hub at the University of Manitoba. definitely good

Anyone else wanna chime in? Also I gotta give props to Katz for bringing up the "Province dragging its heels" unless someone has some insight in this (it does seem like they take too long and only get these sort of things done around election time as political leverage...)

[Kinguni]

Kenaston: http://winnipeg.ca/publicworks/MajorProjects/Route90/

Pembina Hwy. underpass at Jubilee is due to be expanded in a few years with 3 northbound lanes and space for active transportation. You can dig though the City's capital budget to find the details.

[1ajs]

new windows are starting to apear in the royal bank building








also i noticed piles of construction fece laying on the sidewalk of king and mcdermot andone know whats up there?

[Joshy]

Originally Posted by Kinguni

Pembina Hwy. underpass at Jubilee is due to be expanded in a few years with 3 northbound lanes and space for active transportation. You can dig though the City's capital budget to find the details.

Hopefully this includes making it a full-fledged interchange with NO traffic lights.

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by Joshy

Hopefully this includes making it a full-fledged interchange with NO traffic lights.

LOL! You're funny. No, just an expansion to 3 lanes for each direction.

"Preliminary engineering in 2011. 2013 & 2014 - Widen northbound to 3 lanes. Construct pedestrian/active transportation access through CN Rail embankment. Improve land drainage/pumping and reconstruct pavement in both directions."

[Joshy]

Originally Posted by Kinguni

LOL! You're funny.

I know. God forbid this city ever build a true interchange for major arterial routes

[kenny]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

also i noticed piles of construction fece laying on the sidewalk of king and mcdermot andone know whats up there?

The fences are from a job that is already finished. Some bricks were falling from the upper stories of the Maltese Cross Building [former Plug-In ICA] and I believe a few landed on some parked cars. There was a telescopic boom on the sidewalk all week with a mason replacing all the loose bricks on the building. Luckily nobody, but the building was hurt [they weren't exactly careful in matching the bricks].

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by WJG

I'd love for the U of W to purchase the Casa Loma building on the corner of Sherbrook and Portage and convert it into a student residence.

I pass it everyday on the bus and it's painful to see such a historic building such rough shape.

The building even has a few vacant retail units on the main floor (I think one is currently being used headquarters for the NDP candidate). Plus there's a McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Palatal and Rexall across the street (all good to have in proximity if you're a student).

The UW doesn't have the money or really need the space now that they have McFeetors. They've already dumped some of the refurbished houses north of campus that were being used as student residences.

Also, the Casa Loma building is in pretty good shape and the apartments are mostly rented. It's just the main floor retail that has been siting vacant for years. It's a general problem in that area -- there's a lot of ground level retail space sitting vacant in apartment buildings on Portage, Ellice, etc. west of downtown. It's a pretty dreary streetscape.

I'm more concerned about the old National Typewriter building across the street. It's been siting vacant for years, it's become a major pigeon roost, and I can see electric space heaters inside which suggests it doesn't have a functional heating system. Looks like demolition by neglect in progress.

[1ajs]

national typeriter is for sale

[good_dude]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Also, the Casa Loma building is in pretty good shape and the apartments are mostly rented. It's just the main floor retail that has been siting vacant for years. It's a general problem in that area -- there's a lot of ground level retail space sitting vacant in apartment buildings on Portage, Ellice, etc. west of downtown. It's a pretty dreary streetscape.

I'm more concerned about the old National Typewriter building across the street. It's been siting vacant for years, it's become a major pigeon roost, and I can see electric space heaters inside which suggests it doesn't have a functional heating system. Looks like demolition by neglect in progress.

The other thing that's always bugged me is the low-lying McNaught GMC building beside the Casa Loma. Ridiculous is the only word I can think of to describe how a one-storey, flat, long building looks stuck in between the CL and Lion's manor. If anyone needs to know why people discuss 'scale and massing appropriate to context', here is Winnipeg's case study. Not just that it looks bad, but it's such a weird under-use of a site. I hope the market gets into that block soon, both sides. It is pretty close to downtown and at a fairly major intersection, and the new UofW Science Centre should provide a bit more traffic than the area had in the past.

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by good_dude

The other thing that's always bugged me is the low-lying McNaught GMC building beside the Casa Loma. Ridiculous is the only word I can think of to describe how a one-storey, flat, long building looks stuck in between the CL and Lion's manor. If anyone needs to know why people discuss 'scale and massing appropriate to context', here is Winnipeg's case study. Not just that it looks bad, but it's such a weird under-use of a site. I hope the market gets into that block soon, both sides. It is pretty close to downtown and at a fairly major intersection, and the new UofW Science Centre should provide a bit more traffic than the area had in the past.

Yeah, just noticed McNaught is up for sale. Thus ends the era of inner-city Portage Avenue car dealerships. I just hope the site sells and that what replaces it is more sympathetic to the urban context -- as apposed to what replaced the old Murray dealership at Portage and Maryland - suburban-style development with lots of parking...

[bryanscott]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

national typeriter is for sale

I've got a very bad feeling about that building's future.

[JayM]

Originally Posted by kenny

The fences are from a job that is already finished. Some bricks were falling from the upper stories of the Maltese Cross Building [former Plug-In ICA] and I believe a few landed on some parked cars. There was a telescopic boom on the sidewalk all week with a mason replacing all the loose bricks on the building. Luckily nobody, but the building was hurt [they weren't exactly careful in matching the bricks].

Oh damn, I was wondering what was going on with that.

[JayM]

Originally Posted by Kinguni

Kenaston: http://winnipeg.ca/publicworks/MajorProjects/Route90/

Pembina Hwy. underpass at Jubilee is due to be expanded in a few years with 3 northbound lanes and space for active transportation. You can dig though the City's capital budget to find the details.

I think the best option for route 90 would be the 2 one way option. Clearly 3 lanes would suffice in both north and southbound directions.

[WJG]

Speaking of Lions Manor, I noticed they have an old fountain in front of the building (right on the corner of Sherbrook and Portage) that they apparently shut down at some point in the past and filled in with rocks.

I wonder why they decided to shut it down and if they would ever consider reactivating it in the future. I think it would look really nice and compliment the area.

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by JayM

I think the best option for route 90 would be the 2 one way option. Clearly 3 lanes would suffice in both north and southbound directions.

I agree 100%, but the City screwed the pooch by allowing the land to be sold to developers. It will never happen now. That would have been the safest option too.

[JayM]

Originally Posted by Kinguni

I agree 100%, but the City screwed the pooch by allowing the land to be sold to developers. It will never happen now. That would have been the safest option too.

Are you referring to the section near Grant?

[Reed Solomon]

Originally Posted by bryanscott

I've got a very bad feeling about that building's future.

Oh don't worry I'm looking at these typewriters sales trends from 1970 through 1979, and if these trends continue.. eyyyyy....

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by JayM

Are you referring to the section near Grant?

No, the entire former CN right-of-way which the City could have purchased and would have been the northbound routing for route 90. At Grant first the Kenaston mall was expanded onto it, by Corydon is a row of condos to the south, and now more being built to the north. It's completely out of the picture to consider doing that now, but would have made the most sense, for both traffic and safety. Option 4 is the recommended plan now, quite understandably, but nothing will happen until at least the Kapyong lands have been dealt with.

[JayM]

Originally Posted by Kinguni

No, the entire former CN right-of-way which the City could have purchased and would have been the northbound routing for route 90. At Grant first the Kenaston mall was expanded onto it, by Corydon is a row of condos to the south, and now more being built to the north. It's completely out of the picture to consider doing that now, but would have made the most sense, for both traffic and safety. Option 4 is the recommended plan now, quite understandably, but nothing will happen until at least the Kapyong lands have been dealt with.

Ohhh, Yes I see now. Wow what a deboner that was such a viable area of land to reduce the traffic on route 90.