Plan ahead, find alternate routes to avoid road closures downtown Saturday

A Winnipeg Jets game and the Santa Claus parade are both happening downtown Saturday. With multiple road closures, thousands of fans looking for parking, and a whole lot of people flooding the area for the parade, traffic downtown could be chaotic.

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Using the bus is usually a good way to avoid parking problems and congested streets, however, the road closures will affect several routes Saturday. Winnipeg Transit has posted a map on their site and warn the combination of closed roads and the hockey game will likely result in delays and longer walks to/from Bell MTS Place.

“Winnipeg Transit will be re-routing service in the downtown before, during, and after the Santa Claus parade. Re-routes will begin at 1:30 pm and will continue until approximately 11:00 pm. Many routes that terminal in the downtown will be re-routed to temporary terminals. Routes that operate through downtown along Graham or Portage continue to operate through downtown but will do so using different streets,” the Transit site said.

“Delays to transit service are expected throughout the afternoon and evening. Passengers are advised to check your schedule before you travel and be aware of what stops will be in service and which stops will not be operating,” the Transit web page states.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Delays to transit service are expected throughout the afternoon and evening. Passengers are advised to check your schedule before you travel and be aware of what stops will be in service and which stops will not be operating," the Transit web page states.

Here is the list of roads that will be closed downtown Saturday starting at 1:30 p.m. until approximately 8 p.m. to accommodate the Santa Claus Parade:

• Portage Avenue will be closed from Sherbrook Street to Main Street
• Portage Avenue East will be closed from Main Street to Westbrook Street
• Hargrave Street, Colony Street, Vaughn Street, Kennedy Street, Edmonton Street, Garry Street, Fort Street, Carlton Street, Donald Street, and Smith Street will be closed at Portage Avenue
• Main Street southbound will be closed between McDermot Avenue and Graham Avenue
• Main Street northbound will be closed between St. Mary Avenue and Portage Avenue
• Pioneer Avenue westbound will be closed between Main Street and Westbrook Street
• Westbrook Street southbound will be closed between Portage Avenue East and William Stephenson Way
• William Stevenson Way eastbound will be closed between Main Street and Waterfront Drive

Whether you are walking from a parking spot or bus stop, or watching the parade, dress warmly.

Global’s weather specialist Mike Koncan says the daytime high is expected to be -8 Celcius (that’s about 20 degrees colder than it was last year, which was unseasonably warm).

Saturday evening temperatures will be closer to -10 Celcius, but it will feel more like -15.