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Winnipeggers can get their first look at updated plans for widening Kenaston Boulevard as the city launches a public survey to gather feedback on upgrades to one of the city’s major thoroughfares.
The proposed designs outline a number of major changes to Route 90, between Taylor Avenue and Ness Avenue.
Plans include widening Kenaston to three lanes in each direction, rehabilitating and reconfiguring both spans of the St. James Bridge, rebuilding the road to accommodate a consistent speed limit of 60 km/h and adding active transportation infrastructure.
People can fill out the online survey until June 1. The city plans to hold an open house at the Viscount Gort Hotel on May 18 at 6 p.m.
The city has been working on plans to widen Kenaston for more than a decade. City council approved an alignment in 2012 based on a transportation planning study.
The study estimates that if no changes are made, traffic times on Kenaston between Ness and Taylor will rise from between seven and eight minutes currently to between 10 and 14 minutes by 2041.
The new bridge is needed because the existing one is nearing the end of its lifespan — the southbound span was built in 1935 — and could pose a safety hazard if not replaced. Prelminary designs for the new bridge were released in 2018.
Mayor Scott Gillingham has made widening Kenaston, along with extending Chief Peguis Trail westward, a key part of his mandate. He has said it is necessary to support the Naawi-Oodena development at the former Kapyong Barracks site and to improve the flow of goods and people through the city.
During the election campaign last year, he promised to complete a business-case study of the two projects, in order to seek federal and provincial funding. The projects are expected to cost around $500 million each.
Opponents, including some members of council, have said the projects are too expensive and won’t lead to the traffic improvements the city is seeking.
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