Construction begins in just over a month, but plans for the overhaul of Winnipeg’s most famous intersection are taking shape.
The city says intermittent lane closures are set to take place at Portage and Main — beginning as early as Tuesday and lasting for around four weeks — as pre-construction work on traffic signals gets underway.
Closures will take place on various sections of curb and median lanes on both streets, leading up to the demolition of Portage and Main’s concrete barricades beginning in mid-November.
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The project, expected to be complete by June of next year, includes demolishing the barriers and installing new signals and streetlights, extending the curb at the intersection’s southeast corner, repairing existing medians, and installing new curbs and sidewalks for pedestrians at all four corners.
After decades of closure and a failed plebiscite to reopen the iconic intersection to foot traffic in 2018, Mayor Scott Gillingham announced a reversal of course in March, saying the city was losing millions the longer the underground concourse remained open.