Corridor under North Perimeter rejected by city, but doesn’t matter

WINNIPEG — Everyday, cyclists take the risk. Nervously crossing the busy, high speed North Perimeter Highway at Raleigh Street.

“It’s just a matter of time before something could happen, heaven forbid,” said Ernie Bueckert, who’s biked across the highway for 11 years, biking to work in Winnipeg from his East St. Paul home.

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“You have to vector in your mind that these vehicles are going 100 kilometers plus,” said Bueckert, “you can’t be sleeping at 7 in the morning when you’re going across.”

Now the province is building a pedestrian corridor under the Perimeter Highway which will be elevated several meters as part of improvements to the interchange at Highway 59.

The through-pass would allow room for emergency vehicles but East St. Paul council wants regular traffic to use it in the future, asking the province to leave room for future lanes to be built.

“The traffic is just getting heavier and heavier in this area so something has to be done,” said Bueckert.

It would link Raleigh Street from East St. Paul to Winnipeg, currently the street is split by the perimeter. But many residents on both sides don’t like it.

“I’d prefer they didn’t,” said East St. Paul resident Kevin Toews, “It’s right beside our place so the traffic would be right there.”

“We don’t want this additional traffic in our neighbourhood,” said North Kildonan resident Cathy Cox after the city’s Executive Policy Committee voted against widening the through-pass Wednesday.

The province estimates it will cost 10 to 15 million dollars to construct but the North Kildonan councillor doesn’t think this is money well spent.

“I’m just not sure at the cost that it needs to build it that it should be our next priority,” said Jeff Browaty.

The city hall vote is largely symbolic, the province makes the ultimate decision.

There’s more information on the East St. Paul website.