Winnipeg | Portage and Main

[neutroniks]

I imagine it'll have mostly bollards

[OTA in Winnipeg]

Barricades starting to go up as I traveled through the intersection today.

[cllew]

looked at the MERX tender result link and if I am reading it right there was only one bidder on the project. (MD Steele Construction Ltd)

Either the construction industry is really busy or most general contractors don't want to touch it for some reason.

[plrh]

It's a project management heavy job. There is no contractor who can do more than half of the work on it. Most contractors don't want to manage jobs this big and not have a lot of pay items to mark up. The large GCs don't want it either because there is no building on it.

There is a lot of work with a lot of risk and not a lot of places to put big profits in. Also tendering season is upon us, so many contractors will choose to wait for something easier.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by OTA in Winnipeg

Barricades starting to go up as I traveled through the intersection today.

There was a guy cutting concrete in the SB lanes with the big saw at like 9:45 this morning as I went through. He was moving the barricades from one lane to the next.

[OTA in Winnipeg]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

There was a guy cutting concrete in the SB lanes with the big saw at like 9:45 this morning as I went through. He was moving the barricades from one lane to the next.

Ah, he was on the NE corner when I went through. I thought it was the beginning of them blocking off the one lane on each corner.

[Biff]

Estimated budget was $13m - bid came in at just over $16m

[Malcsta]

Forgive me for being out of the loop - but will we see any additional cosmetic changes in this project? any banners, art, flag poles etc or is it just going to be a basic pedestrian crossing? didnt we see renders of some overhangs, greenery, and the like?

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by Malcsta

Forgive me for being out of the loop - but will we see any additional cosmetic changes in this project? any banners, art, flag poles etc or is it just going to be a basic pedestrian crossing? didnt we see renders of some overhangs, greenery, and the like?

I think this first stage is just opening the intersection, re-building curbs, etc., not part of an overall beautification plan.

Wasn't there supposed to be a BRT stop in the area? Wouldn't a beautification plan have to wait until that's completed?

[neutroniks]

Originally Posted by pspeid

I think this first stage is just opening the intersection, re-building curbs, etc., not part of an overall beautification plan.

Wasn't there supposed to be a BRT stop in the area? Wouldn't a beautification plan have to wait until that's completed?

BRT stop will be right in front of the Richardson building

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by neutroniks

BRT stop will be right in front of the Richardson building

Thanks!

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by neutroniks

BRT stop will be right in front of the Richardson building

That won't happen until there's funding for Union Station and its associated roadways.

[pspeid]

Looks like some significant work beginning:

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/portage-...week-1.7103310

From the article: The closure will facilitate underground work to help in the demolition of concrete barriers.

What might they be doing here? Are they reinforcing something underground before demolition?

[bomberjet]

"According to the City of Winnipeg, the closure is due to pre-construction traffic signal work at Portage and Main. Access to the Fairmont Hotel and surrounding surface lots will be maintained through Lombard Street.

The closure will facilitate underground work to help in the demolition of concrete barriers."

Underground work as in utilities. In this case, traffic signals. They probably need to re-route cables so they can complete the work. Maybe they're in a vault of some sort, as it seems odd to close the road for a week to do this work. But being P&M, space is limited.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

"According to the City of Winnipeg, the closure is due to pre-construction traffic signal work at Portage and Main. Access to the Fairmont Hotel and surrounding surface lots will be maintained through Lombard Street.

The closure will facilitate underground work to help in the demolition of concrete barriers."

Underground work as in utilities. In this case, traffic signals. They probably need to re-route cables so they can complete the work. Maybe they're in a vault of some sort, as it seems odd to close the road for a week to do this work. But being P&M, space is limited.

Portage and Main is a complex underground structure due to its legacy.

There are numerous copper and fiber cables going thru it to the BellMTS switching complex on Portage East.

There were active telegraph and other cables going into Zayo (old CNCP building) at 201 Portage before Zayo moved. Also other copper and fiber cables to the smaller communication companies in the area around Lombard
Av. and south towards Westley St.

Add in the sewer, water, gas and abandoned steam lines and its an area that one wants to dig very carefully around. And I think at one time city signals did share manholes with Winnipeg Hydro downtown. That is now probably a WHS issue and they need their own ducts and hand holes.

[cheswick]

Short video from CBC on the opening to pedestrians.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canad...b256f21b&ei=20

[Atrial78]

Nice video. I just moved to Winnipeg 1.5 years ago and the first time I ran into those concrete barriers on P&M I thought there must just be some construction going on. I'm very glad to see that it will be reopened to pedestrians. I don't think Winnipeg folk realize how strange it is for people from other places to see such car-centric measures like this.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by Atrial78

Nice video. I just moved to Winnipeg 1.5 years ago and the first time I ran into those concrete barriers on P&M I thought there must just be some construction going on. I'm very glad to see that it will be reopened to pedestrians. I don't think Winnipeg folk realize how strange it is for people from other places to see such car-centric measures like this.

Welcome! What brought you to town?

[bon_vivant]

Originally Posted by Atrial78

I don't think Winnipeg folk realize how strange it is for people from other places to see such car-centric measures like this.

It's true. We're a little out of touch with what other cities are doing, probably because we're so geographically isolated. It's part of what makes us unique, in good ways and bad. When motorists heard that the barriers were coming down, they were convinced the world was coming to an end. Pedestrians are going to DIE!!! Luckily, we finally seem to have some leaders who are trying to drag our city into the 21st century.

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by Atrial78

Nice video. I just moved to Winnipeg 1.5 years ago and the first time I ran into those concrete barriers on P&M I thought there must just be some construction going on. I'm very glad to see that it will be reopened to pedestrians. I don't think Winnipeg folk realize how strange it is for people from other places to see such car-centric measures like this.

It was eye-opening when I learned about this years ago on why there are permanent concrete barriers at an intersection in a city in North America, maybe even the world.

After at least a couple generations of Winnipeggers bought in and lived through that whole scam, it's nice to see leadership in this city who has half a backbone for once to get rid of them.

The suburbanites from the last plebiscite who voted no can go pound sand!