Word on the street is… exasperation

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This article was published 07/09/2021 (1509 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The orange pylons, traffic warning signs and construction crews have overstayed their welcome near Ivory Restaurant.

At the end of August, traffic at the Donald Street and York Avenue intersection was down to one lane and part of the sidewalk was blocked by yellow tape cordoning off a freshly poured block of concrete.

“Our foot traffic now has totally diminished, just because no one wants to be crossing intersections where they’re kind of fighting with traffic,” said restaurant manager Manoj Choudhary.

He received a letter from the city in the spring saying construction would take three to four months.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be ending any time soon,” Choudhary said of the now-six month-long project.

Customers call and ask if the roadwork is done. In early August, Ivory had to close for an evening because crews working nearby hit a gas line, causing a leak. The following morning the restaurant’s gas was still off and staff had to call Manitoba Hydro to reconnect.

Construction is seemingly everywhere in the city, Choudhary said.

“You go down Pembina, there’s construction. Donald, (there’s construction),” he said. “You name it, there’s construction happening.”

Choudhary said the contractor working near the restaurant has several construction projects going at the same time in the city.

“I feel it would be a better idea if they start on one project, work on that one, complete that, and then move on to the next project rather than creating congestion and issues all over the city,” he said.

Winnipeg had nearly 150 construction projects set for 2021, according to a city spokesperson. The plans target 125 kilometres of lanes for roadwork. About 95 per cent of the projects had been tendered by Aug. 27.

The city couldn’t compare the number of road projects this year to 2020 and 2019 because several are multiyear deals. However, the improvements will cost roughly $152.2 million this year, a jump from a budget of $130.3 million in 2020 and an even bigger leap from the $86.4 million budgeted in 2019.

“A traffic-management plan is developed for each road construction project to minimize the impact of construction on traffic flow,” the city spokesperson wrote in an email.

The stretch of Roblin Boulevard in front of Roblin Quality Meats has been ripped up for a portion of summer.

“I got a lot of customers calling and asking how to get to the store,” said Gord McClune, the shop’s owner.

Some regulars park in the back, while others find a spot down the street and walk. The repairs are inconvenient but worth it, he said.

“It has to be done,” he said. “There’s not much I can do about it, just wait until it’s finished…. They say (there are) two seasons — construction and winter.”

For people with disabilities, construction season can be something to dread.

“When you are using mobility equipment, or you’re visually impaired, it can be extremely onerous,” said Joelle Robinson, the vice-chair of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities.

Robinson has used a motorized scooter and walker for more than a decade. The amount of construction may be increasing, but there have been little changes to sites’ accessibility, she said.

She’s often arrived at a construction zone, or is midway through one, when she finds an obstruction she can’t pass. She then retraces her path and has to find an alternate route.

“They will say things like, ‘Well, it’s just one step’. Well, that’s a huge barrier,” she said.

“We see that happening with construction, where they deem it as an accessible route, but there will just be one step, or there will just be a load of gravel, or there will just be a barrier that, to a person who doesn’t use a mobility aid, wouldn’t be a barrier, but for a person who does, it’s still a barrier.”

In the City of Winnipeg’s Manual of Temporary Traffic Control on City Streets, contractors are expected to provide a new option for active transportation that matches the level of safety of the space they’re closing.

And, when passersby aren’t prohibited from a work area, crews should make a non-permanent path when possible.

“The temporary pedestrian path must be accessible and separated from vehicle traffic,” the manual states.

Allen Mankewich has been vocal online about inaccessible construction sites downtown. The 41-year-old has been in a wheelchair his entire life.

Last year, he posted on Twitter about an inaccessible roadwork zone along Hargrave Street. The City of Winnipeg’s Twitter account messaged him and said he could take his concerns to the project’s contractor. Public Works would also look into it, the message said.

“To me, that creates a big conflict of interest,” Mankewich said. “You’re basically reporting an accessibility violation to the person who created the accessibility violation.”

He didn’t bother reaching out. This year, he’s expressed concern about construction blocking access to bus stops on Donald Street and Stradbrook Avenue.

“(Accessibility) just seems to be a complete afterthought,” he said.

Currie Gillespie leads group bike rides of up to 30 people for Woodcock Cycle Works’ club. He said he’s encountered spots where there’s no alternative but to hold up traffic because of construction, including on Roblin Boulevard.

On Mayfair Avenue, one ride leader stood in the middle of the lane and blocked traffic so the rest of the club could cross.

“In general, when we see road construction, we automatically assume that they haven’t made allowances for cyclists, or proper allowances for pedestrians,” Gillespie said.

He said this year is the worst for construction he’s encountered.

Roadwork should be done by mid-November, and the pandemic has had limited impact on timelines, a city spokesperson said.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca