The underground concourse beneath Winnipeg’s most famous intersection needs extensive repairs over the next decade to avoid serious structural problems, according to a recent report.
The unreleased report, prepared by SMS Engineering Ltd. and obtained by the Winnipeg Free Press through a freedom-of-information request, says the concourse’s waterproof membrane is crumbling and needs replacement over the next five to 10 years.
According to the newspaper, the report’s authors said the membrane “easily cracked and tore within itself under minimal bending” and can be removed by hand.
“Evidence of moisture was also observed between the membrane and concrete surface, indicating that water is circumventing the membrane,” the authors reportedly said.
Still, he said he’s not surprised to hear major repairs are needed.
“It should surprise no one that there are infrastructure needs to the underground,” he said.
“I’ve been saying that for years, it’s something that has been neglected for decades.”
The underground concourse has been the site of numerous leaks and is prone to water cascading through the ceiling during major storms.
It’s no secret that money will need to be spent to fix the concourse, and that fact was prominent during the debate to open the intersection.
In 2018, Winnipeggers voted in a non-binding plebiscite to keep the intersection closed to pedestrians, with many concerned about the costs and traffic.
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The report authors, according to the Winnipeg Free Press, said that fixing the membrane will be a time-consuming job and that the intersection will need to be closed to traffic to allow the city to rip up the pavement and fix the membrane.
A report in 2017 presented to city council pegged opening Portage and Main and repairs to the concourse at about $11 million.
Bowman couldn’t say whether the report would mean that cost would rise.
“You’re right, I have been very public in saying that there will be investments there,” he said. “First step is, let’s see how bad the problem is and have the public service provide council with adequate estimates.”
The city’s director of planning, property and development, John Kiernan, told Global News immediately after the plebiscite that he’s unsure of how much repairs to the intersection, both above and below ground, would cost.
He said there was “very limited information” available when it comes to what might be found underneath the barricades, which sit a metre below the surface.
“There is a membrane that has been in place for 40 years,” Kiernan said. “We’re concerned as we uncover it.”
Mayor Brian Bowman told 680 CJOB on Wednesday he has not seen the report and expects it to be released publicly after city administrators go through it and make recommendations to council.