Bishop Grandin bike bridge, transit upgrades on hold

Winnipeg plans to put off construction of a $12.5-million bike-and-pedestrian bridge over Pembina Highway and $6 million worth of transit upgrades because it no longer expects the province to help pay for the projects.

Shortage of provincial funding leads city to cancel eight projects, report says

Bartley Kives CBC News Posted: Sep 18, 2017 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 19, 2017

A map of the proposed bike-and-pedestrian crossing over Pembina Highway, south of Bishop Grandin Boulevard. (City of Winnipeg)

Winnipeg plans to put off construction of a $12.5-million bike-and-pedestrian bridge over Pembina Highway and $6million worth of transit upgrades because it no longer expects the province to help pay for the projects.

The city is no longer planning to ask Ottawa to help buildthe Bishop GrandinWalk Bike Bridge over Pembinanear University Crescent, according to a report published by the city on Friday. The bike-and-pedestrian bridge is intended to complete the Bishop GrandinGreenway and make it safer for cyclists to reach Investors Group Field and the University of Manitoba's Fort Garry campus.

The city is also abandoning plans to ask the Trudeau government for help paying for seven Winnipeg Transit projects, including new buses andshop-equipment upgrades.

The city unveiled this artist's concept of a bike-and-pedestrian bridge over Pembina Highway in April. A report to council recommends shelving the project, due to a lack of provincial funding, a cash crunch and an inability to borrow more money. (Artist's rendering/City of Winnipeg)

The bike bridge and the transit projects are off the table because of "uncertainties surrounding provincial funding" as well as the city's limited ability to borrow more money and the cash crunch that's already making it difficult for officials to balance the 2018 budget, Winnipeg capital projects oversight manager Rob Taylor writes in the report, which comes before council's executive policy committee on Wednesday.

In the same report, Taylor recommends council approve $35 millionforother projects that would require Ottawa to cover 50 per cent of the cost.

Those projects include $13 million worth of protected bike lanes,$11 million worth of sewer upgrades, a $7-million bike-and-pedestrian upgrade to the bridge over the Red River at Chief Peguis Trailand a$3-million rapid-transit master plan and prioritizationstudy.

The city would have to borrow money to cover half the cost of the transit study, but would pay cash for the other new projects, Taylor writes in the report.

South Winnipeg-St. Norbert Coun. Janice Lukes said while she's disappointed to see the city back away from building a bike-and-pedestrian bridge in her ward, she's more upset most councillors had no input into the decision to abandon eight projects but pursue seven others.

"You're asking council to vote on a $34-million investment and you haven't told half of council why the prioritization is what it is," Lukes said Sunday in a telephone interview.

Another artist's conception. (City of Winnipeg)

Council public works chair MartyMorantz (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge) said the rationale for pursuing some projects and abandoning others was developedby Georges Chartier, the city's chief asset and project-management officer.

"The point of that is depoliticize the choice of these projects, keeping in mind all of them are subject to federalfunding," Morantzsaid Sunday in a phone interview.

The city is in the midst of developing its budget for next year. Mayor Brian Bowman said last week he expects it to come to a council vote in December.