Portage and Main Re-Opening

In 1979 the most famous corner in Canada was blocked off and went underground. At the time there was about 3000 to 4000 people who worked within a block of the intersection. At every light cycle there were hundreds of people crossing and buses galore discharging riders. Some called it the windiest corner in Canada and they weren't wrong. In the dead of winter, you went out sans your coat at your peril.

The Trizec project of the city demolishing and putting up a massive parkade in support of a private 32 story tower changed everything. The city, cognizant of other cities like Montreal, Toronto and Minneapolis believed that skywalks and underground pathways were the favoured choice for cold weather cities. Some resented being forced downstairs to get across but there was wide acceptance of the development as it also came with a mall in Winnipeg Square.

The plebiscite on re-opening Portage and Main was defeated 2-1 in 2018. However, the issues of what to do about the crumbling infrastructure was never really addressed. For many it seemed like there was no need to do anything despite the fact that water had been leaking for sometime. Eventually, a report came out that fixing the Concourse was likely to be in the $70 Plus millions and involve road closures that could be lengthy.

Some disputed the price or the length of time it would take. The argument from many was that opening the corner would be dangerous and traffic would be a nightmare for the entire downtown as a result. It could get pretty busy back in 1975 at the corner. There were several grain handling companies along Main that seemed to have 500 employees each in their head offices. Truly. The Manitoba Wheat Pool, United Grain Growers, the Canadian Wheat Board and so on.

In the 1970s every major Canadian bank had a regional vice-president based in the city and Portage and Main was filled with banking, insurance and trust companies. The Richardson Building was the only tower on the corner and this had the new Unicity city council looking at proposals for projects all the over the place. One of them came from the Trizec corporation for a development on the southwest corner of Portage and Main.

The city demolished the five buildings already there, built a massive three deck parkade and it still took Trizec till 1978 to built the 32 floor office tower above. Just in time for the worst recession Manitoba had faced since the Great Depression. The year 1980 was as brutal a crash Winnipeg had seen in decades. The Trizec building had dark floors for years after it was built.

As for the Concourse, it largely served its purpose of moving people from corner to corner. Newcomers were often confused but those that worked in the area became familiar with it found it useful, especially to get to Winnipeg Square for restaurants and food court as well as shopping and services. As the Trizec building slowly filled in in the 1980s, Portage and Main adapted to the Concourse that connected it all. Thankfully, the security was such that it was never out of control there insofar as attacks, retail thefts and panhandling. It was the above ground entrances that could be problems. The concrete barricades prevented anyone from seeing someone being assaulted. The stairs to the underground also were places people used to go to the washroom or sleep. This didn't happen right away but over time.

Following the pandemic, the report on how much it would cost to rehabilitate the Concourse shook the Council. While there was some dispute about how much repairs might cost, it was evident that it was not going to be something like the Civic Parkade that you could keep putting up with until an engineer put up a permanent ban of vehicles lest the whole thing collapse. This is standard procedure with the city to let facilities and infrastructure deteriorate until they close. 

In recent weeks Winnipeg has seen indoor swimming pools close all over because they have been neglected to the point of failure. New road construction is the top of every agenda while road repairs sink lower. Begging happens every week with the city asking for more more money for things like the sewage plant while directing millions to new roads. The density has dropped in much of the city while the sprawl has expanded. Speed on the roads to get people out of the city has been a priority and various neighbourhoods suffer as people stream down residential areas above posted limits.

With the barricades now removed, Portage and Main looked nearly naked now. Work continues to pave roads and put up traffic lights.  The opening date still seems to be June 27, 2025. The total costs is just under $22 million to open the road up. It is unclear if the Concourse will require any work to protect it from collapsing.

The four privately owned four corners of Portage and Main have invested a fair amount over the last five years. The Richardson family have done quite a bit to improve the square around their buildings. They have some of the most impressive public art in the province. The who square has received and upgrade and the Fairmont Hotel has been re-purchased by the family and is going through a multimillion renovation.

All of this will coincide with changes to bus routes, the Graham transit corridor and constructions season. Fortunately, the summer break for students will underway so we won't have to bear the full force of rush hour for two months. The bus route changes will cause a lot of confusion. Some stops will be further away. Others are being moved so that merchants lose their street parking. Expect a lot of confusion and criticism during this process.

To that end, how many buses going through Portage and Main will be a challenge. In the 1970s, it was a major bus intersection and the source of complaints. It was also filled with pedestrians at every light cycle. There have always been complaints about people on the roads. Many would like to be able to drive at high speed until they arrive in their own neighbourhood which should be reduced to 30 kms.

It should be noted that Winnipeg now has wider and busier intersections. Kenaston and Sterling Lyon is very busy with up to three lanes turning one way and two lanes turning the other way. They manage this without forcing people under or over the road. Now, some might argue that the bikes and cars are a lot fewer and this might be true but that crossroads appears to be fairly easy to navigate for everyone.

The last item is panhandling. It is unlikely that it will be safe under any circumstances people in the middle of the intersection here. Police and social services will also have to make sure that the site doesn't become an encampment. Around Higgins it just continues to grow. Encampment comes down and is cleaned up and a new one goes up the next day. Transitional housing is coming but it is slow in getting funding, slow in getting built and with demand growing all the time. Compound that with mental health issues and chronic drug use.

It is too early to say good or bad things about the opening. Private business has done a lot to make the corner more inviting and likely will continue to. The new Metis Museum at the Bank of Montreal building could come to be a tourist attraction bringing people to the corner. The two steakhouses on the corner may get more foot traffic. In fact foot traffic might be a thing again.

No one is expecting this to revive retail. Some business like news stands have just stopped being a thing. There are some empty storefronts and it will be curious if landlords are interested in making deals or just leaving spots empty. There could real opportunities for pop-up stores, tiny restaurants and on the corner itself food carts. If Broadway is able to do that year round, why not Portage and Main?

We'll have to see how things go but the truth is Portage and Main is wide enough for people and cars. It remains to be seen how it all flows together. I think perhaps the group that will most have concerns are people on bikes who likely wanted dedicated lanes on Main, Portage and navigating the intersection. It is possible that Graham Avenue might be a more attractive option since with have four blocks on only bike and pedestrians.