Eyebrows have been raised over what is not in the City of Winnipeg budget – the Winnipeg Free Press

Three critical infrastructure projects are missing from the City of Winnipeg's proposed multi-year budget; No funding has been provided for the now closed Arlington Bridge, the extension of Kenaston Boulevard (Route 90) or the extension of the Head of Peguis Highway.

That's despite some consultants and advocates pushing the city to prioritize replacing the 112-year-old Arlington Bridge, the main link between the North End and West End across the Canadian Pacific rail yards.

The demand for funding intensified in November when the city closed the bridge, even to pedestrians, due to structural problems.

“We should have (started) funding the replacement (bridge) a while ago because we knew it was going to fail,” Kuhn said. Ross Eady (Mynarski), whose unit covers the structure.

Eadie said he wants the city to use some of the revenue from frontage fees, which were raised to $1.50 per foot in the previous 2023 budget, to start saving to replace them. A 2018 report estimated the new bridge would cost about $330 million.

Eadie said the bridge is a “crucial” link between communities, and emergency response times to some homes could be longer after it's closed.

Mark Coho, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, said the loss of the bridge also cut off a major active transportation route.

“Really, we need to see money to replace the Arlington Bridge to include (new) protected bike lanes … or we need to see money come in to replace the railroad (so the bridge is not needed),” Coho said.

While the Chief Peguis, Kenaston and Arlington Bridge projects were not funded in the 2024-2027 budget proposal, Mayor Scott Gillingham promised in the document that revenue from the 2023 toll hike could be used for road projects. This revenue has been earmarked for general road maintenance, but will go toward “trade corridor” projects in Chief Peguis and Kenaston if federal and/or provincial funding is approved.

“Once we're ready to pay for the city's portion of what we can (raise money) with Kenaston,” Kuhn said. Jeff Broughaty (North Kildonan).

Brovati, who chairs the council's finance committee, said unallocated road funding could also be used in the six-year capital plan.

The proposed municipal budget freezes strategic infrastructure funding for the provincial city of Winnipeg at $89.8 million annually until 2027, with all money earmarked for various capital projects.

Manitoba Municipal Affairs Minister Ian Bushey said there could be an increase in city infrastructure funding included in the NDP's first budget in the spring.

It will be up to the city to come up with a proposal that prioritizes the Arlington Bridge and other major capital projects before the provincial government makes any decisions about financial support, Bushey said.

“We have continued discussions to see how we can best position the City of Winnipeg with significant challenges,” Bushey said.

He said a seven-year freeze on the city's provincial operating grant under the previous Tory government would force it to catch up in many areas. “When they bring their priorities to the table, we're open to those discussions.”

As for the widening of Kenaston Boulevard and the westward extension of the Chief Peguis Highway, Bushey said discussions are ongoing at the government level.

“I can assure you, we are committed to being advocates and we are open to these discussions to see how we can best support,” Bushey said.

The city manager plans to wait for the results of business case studies on the feasibility of the Kenaston and Chief Peguis projects before taking further city action.

Brovati noted that the city is waiting for an engineering study to be completed in Arlington before deciding its fate. All three studies are expected this year.

If approved, the Main Peguis Trail extension would extend from Main Street to Brookside Boulevard and Kenaston Boulevard would be widened to three lanes in each direction between Ness and Taylor avenues at a total cost of about $1 billion.

— With files from Daniel Da Silva

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