[Only The Lonely..]

March 29, 2007 | The Herald


The City has begun tip-toeing towards extending Chief Peguis Trail to Lagimodiere Boulevard and other major capital projects in the area.

The City’s 2007 preliminary capital budget, released Jan. 12, pegged planning to begin on Chief Peguis Trail this year with major construction set to start in 2008 and end in the autumn of 2009.

The bridge connecting Henderson Highway with Main Street was completed 16 years ago as the first phase of a route designated in a 1960s transportation study that would provide an inner-beltway to move traffic across the city. Currently, Springfield Road carries 16,000 cars a day, far more than it was designed to do said ward Coun. Jeff Browaty.

“Other streets nearby like McIvor and McLeod take far more traffic than they are designed to because there is no east-west route,” he said.
Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Services applauds the decision after they’ve expressed their concerns to the City about receiving higher call volumes in an area littered with speed-bumps and crammed streets.

Deputy chief Ken Sim said the service is currently comparing travel times to historical records and are looking for ways “that make life less challenging for us.”

“Any improvement to (using Springfield Road) we would support because as you know that’s a fairly heavily travelled street and it means us having to oftentimes not take the most direct route,” he said.

But the green light was given to other major capital projects as well. The budget includes funding to the Disraeli Freeway rehabilitation project, a $91-million venture to improve the degrading roadway.

And Coun. Browaty also said the City’s planning property and development department set money aside for trail development, including the Marconi Trail, which a local grassroots group has been designing for months. The group presented its plan to the East Kildonan-Transcona community committee on Jan. 15.

“We’re very excited,” Sigrun Bailey, co-chair of the River East Neighbourhood Network Trail Committee said.

“It’s very good news for North Kildonan,” Coun. Browaty added.