Winnipeg mayor to announce major changes to Portage and Main

Winnipeg’s mayor is set to make an announcement about major changes to the city’s most famous intersection.

Scott Gillingham will speak to media at 9 a.m. Friday about the future of Portage and Main.

The move is expected to include long-term lane closures, as well as a reconstruction of the membrane that protects the underground pedestrian walkway.

Gillingham will also detail different design options, following public consultations last year. During that process, possibilities including a sky garden and lookout tower, were both discussed.

1:47 Which concept best suits a revitalization of Winnipeg’s iconic intersection?

Canada’s coldest and windiest intersection, according to a popular local urban myth, Portage and Main has served as an unofficial meeting site for protests, street parties, parades, and other events throughout the city’s history — from key moments in the Winnipeg general strike of 1919 to the Winnipeg Jets’ signing of star centre Dale Hawerchuk in 1981.

Closed to pedestrians since the development of an underground concourse in the late 1970s, the idea of reopening the intersection has been a pervasive one, with then-mayor Brian Bowman — who had originally campaigned on reopening Portage and Main — issuing a plebiscite on the topic as part of the 2018 civic election.

The results of that plebiscite showed an almost 65/35 split among Winnipeggers in favour of keeping the intersection dedicated to vehicular traffic, although later reports indicated that the vast majority of those who voted ‘no’ on re-opening Portage and Main were commuters who didn’t live in the immediate area.

Global News will stream Gillingham’s press conference live on this page.

2:04 Winnipeg wants feedback on replacement for ‘Soviet-era’ concrete barricades at Portage and Main

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