Foot and cycle crossing would connect St. Vital, University of Manitoba

The city is working with a consulting firm to explore connecting St. Vital and the University of Manitoba via a pedestrian and cycling bridge over the Red River.

Public consultations will be held in the new year, according to a city spokesperson. Dates and locations for the consultations have yet to be determined.

Newly-elected Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) said the bridge was a hot campaign topic during the fall byelection among residents living near St. Amant and Minnetonka School — both of which have been identified as possible sites for the crossing.

He said city bureaucrats have since told him money for a conceptual design study for the bridge was set aside in 2009 and the city hired MMM Group this past July to undertake that study.

No funding has been earmarked to actually build a bridge, Mayes added.

The city and MMM Group created a public advisory committee in September to invite feedback from community stakeholders — including the University of Manitoba, Louis Riel School Division, St. Amant, Henteleff Park Foundation, Bike to the Future and the Winnipeg Trails Association.

St. Norbert resident Janice Lukes, who sits on the advisory committee for Winnipeg Trails, said while a pedestrian bridge has been discussed for years, the new football stadium at the university has added some excitement to the project.

Lukes said the design study is not only exploring possible locations for the bridge, but also determining its feasibility.

"The location, if you’re looking at the area between the University of Manitoba and St. Vital, has a lot of bank instability," she explained, adding gondolas are another idea being discussed.

Lukes said a pedestrian bridge could reduce congestion along Bishop Grandin Boulevard, which connects southwest and southeast Winnipeg.

"Taking the bus takes hours. It’s ridiculous," she said, adding people already use the frozen river as a shortcut during the winter.

According to the agenda of the advisory committee’s last meeting, MMM Group has identified five possible bridge locations in St. Vital — St. Amant, Minnetonka School, Henteleff Park, across the river from the former Southwood Golf and Country Club in Fort Garry, and across the river from King’s Park in Fort Richmond.

A report from the chair of the advisory committee notes the University of Manitoba is open to connecting the bridge to its agricultural areas across from St. Amant and Minnetonka School.

Mayes said residents near those two sites have been vocal about their concerns.

"I don’t blame them. They have issues about everything from traffic, to green space, to what is this going to mean for the community gardens," he said.

Most of the traffic concerns are related to game days at the new football stadium, he added.

"Yes, it’s only 10 times a year probably, but people are going to say, ‘I don’t want all that traffic coming in and then people walking over’," Mayes said.

Mayes said while he supports the bridge in theory, he wants to ensure residents know about the public consultations.

"I want to have their input on this before it goes any further," he said.

"There’s no money in the budget to build a bridge, but with the stadium going in there, this is more than just blue-sky thinking."

Representatives of the University of Manitoba and MMM Group could not be reached for comment.

arielle.godbout@canstarnews.com

Proposed footbridge worries St. Vital residents

cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/01/24/mb-footbridge-red-river-vital-winnipeg.html

Some people in Winnipeg's South St. Vital neighbourhood don't want a proposed footbridge over the Red River linking them to the University of Manitoba campus.

They fear their neighbourhood will become a free parking lot for football fans and concert goers heading to the new Blue Bomber stadium that will open later this year on the campus.

However, the city wants to extend the active transportation corridor for pedestrians and cyclists and views the bridge as an ideal way.

Pedestrian bridge over Winnipeg's Red River: Good or bad idea? (6:29 audio)