114-year-old bridge reopens in Winnipeg
Posted August 23, 2025 5:49 pm.
Winnipeg’s Louise Bridge has reopened to drivers and pedestrians, nearly three months after it was closed for what was originally expected to take just a few days of maintenance. While traffic is moving again, the long-term future of the 114-year-old bridge is still up for debate
The bridge closed May 23rd for annual inspection and repairs. What started as a short closure stretched through the summer, after crews discovered severe corrosion on some of the bridge’s steel connections. The reopening was pushed back twice, but this week the city announced repairs were finished earlier than expected.
“We forecast it would be later, but it’s opening sooner than we were expecting that’s positive, people can get back into the groove before fall and school,” said Councillor Janice Lukes, Chair for Public Works.
Officials say while some corrosion was fixed, most of the trusses are still in good condition, meaning with timely rehabilitation, the bridge could stay in service for another 30 to 40 years. That work is estimated at $40 million and would need to be completed by 2030.
“If we can rehabilitate and it serves our needs now, when it comes time to do the bug reconstruct, at that time that area in the city will grow and we will put a separated transit line in,” said Lukes.
The bridge sits at the centre of an election debate in Elmwood-East Kildonan. CityNews reached out to all of the candidates running- but did not hear back yet. While some say repairing the structure offers the best value, Braydon Mazurkiewich, candidate for Elmwood-East Kildonan argues Winnipeg needs to build a new bridge, which is estimated to cost roughly $179 million.
“They just reopened portage and main a pet project for the elitists downtown, and they found the money for that, so its BS to say they don’t have the money to fund this project that’s been on the books for decades,” said Mazurkiewich.
“The other reality is we don’t have the money right now to build a new bridge our focus is on the north end treatment plant,” said Lukes.
