Weeklong disruptions expected at Abinojii Mikanah, St. Mary's Road intersection due to overnight roadwork
Overnight restrictions begin evening of July 22, expected to end by July 29, says City of Winnipeg
A busy intersection in Winnipeg's St. Vital area will be closing for hours-long stretches overnight this week.
Paving work begins Tuesday and that means Abinojii Mikanah at St. Mary's Road will undergo a series of closures through Monday morning, a news release from the city said on Tuesday.
Only one lane of Abinojii Mikanah will be open in each direction starting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until 6 a.m. the next morning. Left turns onto St. Mary's will be down to one lane in each direction, and drivers can expect to see changes to right turns onto Abinojii Mikanah, including yields and detours around pedestrian islands.
Jasjeet Brar, who lives in the area and drives through the intersection daily, said "it's pretty rough as it is" with the existing road work.
"If it's only going down to one lane I can only imagine," he said, adding his short five-minute trip had tripled to 15 minutes by the time he spoke to CBC News at the intersection late Tuesday afternoon.
On Friday starting at 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., no left turns will be allowed in either direction from St. Mary's onto Abinojii Mikanah, and there will be no through traffic on St. Mary's at Abinojii Mikanah. It won't be possible to turn left in either direction off Abinojii Mikanah onto St. Mary's, and only one lane will stay open in each direction of Abinojii Mikanah.
Ed Jeanson said he drives through the intersection often, but isn't too bothered by delays if they lead to improvements.
"When they've got to do the work, they've got to do the work. If it's going to make it better, great," Jeanson said.
The entire intersection will close down in all directions on Saturday and Sunday starting at 4 p.m. until 6 a.m. There will be no left turns in any direction, only right turns.
From 6 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday, there will also be no traffic allowed to cross the intersection, no left turns and only right turns in all four directions, the city said.
Student Mina Tawfik takes public transit from the intersection to classes every day. He said the existing construction barricades have made boarding the bus more confusing, with some sidewalks and bus stops blocked off.
He worries his commute will get worse this week.
"A lot of the days, I'm coming back from classes and I'm tired. I don't want to have to walk or worry about how I'm going to get home. It would be a pain," he said.
The intersection is expected to reopen fully on Tuesday, July 29.
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With files from Mike Arsenault