Keewatin Street Underpass and Pathway Improvements Backgrounder

In 2018, an off-street pathway was built along Keewatin Street from Burrows Avenue to Inkster Boulevard. This pathway connects with existing off-street pathways on:

• Keewatin Street/Dr. Jose Rizal Way from Inkster Boulevard to Water Ridge Path, and
• Inkster Boulevard between Inksbrook Drive and Keewatin Street.

In addition, the Keewatin Street Pathway connects to the bike lanes on Church Avenue, where a new traffic signal has been installed to help facilitate safe crossings of Keewatin Street.

Once extended under the CPR Mainline to Gallagher Avenue, the Keewatin Street Pathways will provide connections to Red River College’s Notre Dame Campus, the Health Science Centre Complex, and the Weston Memorial Community Centre. Future extensions to the Empress Street Pathway will eventually provide a connection to the Polo Park area. However, the western connections to the Health Sciences Complex, Weston Memorial Community Club, and Polo Park will only be realized if pathways are built on both the east and west sides of Keewatin Street south of Selkirk Avenue as there are no safe crossings of Keewatin Street south of Selkirk Avenue and no plans to extend the pathway beyond Gallagher Avenue.

Current plans only include a pathway on the west side of Keewatin Street.

Keewatin Street Pathway Study Needs to Consider Connectivity East of Keewatin Street

The 2018 Pedestrian and Cycling Program Action Plan forecasts spending of $300,000 in 2019 for a study to extend the Keewatin Street Pathway from Burrows Avenue to Gallagher Avenue. The remaining sections of pathway will be completed around 2021 at the same time as the road renewal on Keewatin Street between Selkirk Avenue and Logan Avenue. The cost for the roadway rehabilitation is estimated to be $3.1 million, while its estimated that an additional $2 million (currently unfunded) will be needed for construction of the the Keewatin Street Underpass Cycling Facility.

To provide the best value for our tax dollars, and to provide much needed connections to the east of Keewatin Street, we are asking that the 2019 Functional Design Study and subsequent construction project for the Keewatin Street Pathway include the following:

• Pathways on both sides of Keewatin Street south of Selkirk Ave.
  • CP should be approached about property acquisition along Keewatin and Selkirk Avenue to provide space for the pathways.
• Neighbourhood Greenway connections on the west to Red River College’s Notre Dame Campus.
• Neighbourhood Greenway connections to Worth Street at Alexander Avenue to provide connections to:
  • Weston Memorial Community Centre
  • Health Science Centre Complex
  • The Polo Park area (via a future extension of the Empress Street Pathway)
• A Pathway Connection on the south side of Selkirk Avenue from Keewatin to Chudley Street.
  • Would require property acquisition from CP to provide space for the pathway, which could ultimately be extended to the Northwest Hydro Corridor Greenway and the McPhillips Street at Jarvis Avenue intersection if property could be acquired from CP.

Connection to Park Lane

On the north side of the tracks, it will be important to ensure that the pathway on the west side of Keewatin Street connects to Park Lane Avenue. Park Lane Avenue provides access to Woodsworth Park, and more importantly to King Edward Street and Tyndall Park.

More Information

• Keewatin Street Pathway Project (City of Winnipeg)