Winnipeggers relieved as Waverley Street underpass opens early

Winnipeg commuters no longer have to fret about long delays due to trains in the city's southwest with the opening of the Waverley Underpass over the weekend.

The City of Winnipeg confirmed Sunday evening that after years of construction, the newly built Waverley Underpass is now open.

Construction crews will continue to work in the area until November, with limited disruption to road traffic, the city said. Some lanes still weren't open at the start of rush hour Monday.

The project, which was approved by council in early 2016, was initially slated to be finished by August 2020 with a $155 million price tag.

It included replacing the existing railway crossing at Waverley Street and Taylor Avenue with an underpass, fixing up Waverley Street and expanding Taylor Avenue to four lanes.

Much to the surprise of residents in the city, the underpass opened ahead of schedule.

In a statement Thursday, the city said it would shut down traffic to the area from Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday as it prepared to open the long-anticipated route.

Last week, the City of Winnipeg said the road would be open by Aug. 19, 2019. On Sunday, roadblocks were taken down — a year and a day earlier than expected.

Mayor Brian Bowman has said that an estimated 40,000 vehicles pass through the intersection every day.