Public insight sought on future of Winnipeg’s Portage and Main

The best-known intersection in Winnipeg is set to undergo some major changes and the city is looking for some insight from the public as to what they want Portage and Main to be.

“The City of Winnipeg sees Portage and Main as an iconic, historic destination and worthy of a little extra attention,” explained Kurtis Kowalke, urban planner and project manager for the City of Winnipeg.

“That’s what we’ve asked our consultant to do is to really re-envision this intersection as a place where people actually want to gather and want to see, and that’s why we’ve looked at ideas that are somewhat conventional as well as some that are a little bit more bold.”

The City of Winnipeg launched a public survey on Tuesday and announced it will be hosting a pair of pop-up engagement events in May to have the public help plot its course for Portage and Main.

The lifespan of the ageing infrastructure that protects the underground concourse at the crossing is coming to an end and will soon have to be replaced, creating an opportunity for renewal.

The survey includes proposals for an overhead “Sky Garden,” a massive piece of public art and even working lookout towers overseeing the intersection.

Planners say feedback from the public is critical as it moves forward with potential plans for the intersection, with the goal of “improving the appearance of the intersection and making it more vibrant, resilient to climate change, and welcoming to all.”

“We really want to hear from the public as to which of these ideas resonate and which of them really help fulfil the project’s objectives and that will really help us determine what our final recommendations are,” said Kowalke.

Other options in the survey include “edge to edge” paving, with or without trees, with all of the options being examined resulting in the removal of the current cement pedestrian barriers in their current form.

Costing and final designs are set to be presented to city council in the Fall of this year following the engagement process, and some leaders in the community say the change – whatever may come – is exciting.

“This study and the options being presented to Winnipeggers is elevating the conversation, it’s elevating it to what we want for our downtown. What do we want to see at this intersection?” asked Loren Remillard, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

Whether it’s accessibility, safety, improved lighting or vibrancy, the survey will be a chance for Winnipeggers to tell the city directly what they want to see for the area, and Remillard says the survey is changing the larger conversation around the intersection, which the chamber will soon be a tenant.

“Those are the conversation pieces that are really front and centre in this document and it’s a positive conversation, as opposed to a negative one, that is the removal of barriers or not, that is perhaps one of the most exciting things that we saw today released.”

He also says it’s critical to ensure the plans for Portage and Main are made in unison and as part of the larger plans being developed for the city to ensure there is no piecemeal approach for the intersection and downtown, which he says Winnipeggers need to value all the time, as well as when input is being sought.

“We need then to be more engaged in the health of our downtown and yes, we need people visiting our downtown, we need people working downtown, we need people working downtown, but all of that is driven by we need people to care about our downtown,” said Remillard.

Public consultation wraps up on May 26.