Transcona Trail Extension
The Trasncona Trail was one of the biggest projects included in the 2010 Federal Stimulus Fund Package. It runs 6.7km from the Perimeter Highway across the northern limit of Transcona before veering southwest to follow the CEMR rail line to Regent Ave, where it ends.
This leaves people with the choice of continuing their ride along Regent Ave and its six plus lanes of traffic, or turning around and heading back to wherever they cam from. Not many choose to continue down Regent Ave. The lack of any safe, direct connection between the southern end of the Transcona Trail and St. Boniface is one of the biggest barriers to cycling in the city.
Thankfully, plans are in the works to close this gap in the city’s bike network.
Plans to extend the Transcona Trail south across Regent Ave to Panet Rd will make a huge difference for people biking into or out of Transcona while providing much needed access to shopping within Transcona.
Trancona Trail Extension to Provide Safe Crossings of Regent and Lagimodiere
The Transcona Trail Extension Project will construct a multi-use path to extend the Transcona Trail from its existing termination at Regent Avenue West to Panet Road. The design will include a crossing connection at Regent Avenue to access the path extension.
This project was approved for multiple year funding in the 2017 Pedestrian and Cycling Program of the Capital Budget. A preliminary study was completed in 2016 and more detailed design work is taking place throughout 2017, which includes land negotiations.
From Panet Road, it is hoped that the pathway would connect up with an all ages and abilities bikeway to be built as part of the Eastern Rapid Transit Corridor. The Eastern Corridor Study, currently underway, aims to determine routing for the Eastern Rapid Transit Corridor and Pathways.
In the meantime, the most likely connection from Panet Road to the Downtown is via Mission St and Notre Dame St to Tache Ave and the Esplanade Riel Walk/Bike Bridge into The Forks. To facilitate the connection to MIssion St, we are recommending that the city include a pathway connection from the planned western terminus of the pathway at Panet Road to Mission St. The city has an easement for a pathway along the eastern side of Panet Road for just this purpose, so an extension of the pathway south to Mission St should be a fairly simple addition to any construction contract.
Key Candidate Commitments
- Commit to Completion of the Transcona Trail Extension Project as currently planned in 2019
- Commit to an Extension of the planned Transcona Trail Extension south to Mission St. along the east side of Panet Rd through an existing easement.
More Information
Transcona Trail Extension Project (City of Winnipeg)
Eastern Corridor Study (City of Winnipeg)
I have to cycle from Norwood to Pandora and will do so in morning rush hour traffic, the same for the afternoon rush hour commute home. Can you suggest any safe routes for that commute. Mission, Panet, Regent to Pandora is a fairly industrial route, and Marion, Lag, , and Dugald is also high volume industrial traffic. Are there any alternatives to these routes?
Thank you
Unfortunately, there are not any real alternatives for you on this route at the moment. We were hoping to see this extension of the Transcona Trail move forward in the 2019 budget, but it has been cut (we are hopeful that we can get it back into the budget in 2020). That would still leave you on Mission, which isn’t great, but probably the least of the bad on your route. You can at least partially cut back on some of your traffic exposure. Trhough St. B, take Kenny, Traverse, or Braemar across Marion/Goulet and then St. Jean Baptiste to Notre Dame. Then Notre Dame and La Verendrye to Archibald at Mission. Unfortunately, at that point you are back onto Mission. The hope was that the East Corridor Rapid Transit Corridor would include cycling facilities to get you to the Transcona Trail connection at Mission and Panet, but that is off the radar right now.
Hi Ed,
I did a bit of a ride out to Transcona today and checked out a couple of routes through some of the new developments out that way. As an alternative (or at least partial alternative) to MIssion, you can try these two options:
1) Cross Archibald to Mission as usual, but turn left at the Grey Street pathway (left just after Provencher). It’s an old roadway that was used for the Nairin Overpass rehab a couple of decades ago that has been left as a patwhay. That will take you under the tracks and get you a light across Nairin. Once across Nairin, turn right onto McCalman and follow it all the way to Stapleton St. Turn left onto Stapleton St, and head north thorugh Hap Hopkinson Memorial Park. ONce through the park, continue north on Stapleton inbt the back lane between Pike Cr. and George Suttie Bay. Turn right on the sidewalk to get to George Suttie Bay and ride through to Keenleyside. Turn right onto Keenleyside and cross Panet. From there, you need to go through the Lowe’s parking lot to get to Almey Ave, where there is a signal to get you across Lagimodiere. It’s a long signal, so expect a fairly long wait here. Almey will turn into Cal Gardiner Dr once you cross Peguis (again uncontrolled). There is a pathway on the south side. Follow that pathway east to the Transcona Trail and then turn northeast onto it until you get to the Club Regent parking lot. Connect to Owen through the parking lot and head south across Regent to Pandora.
2) To completely avoid Mission, you can cross Archibald and follow the sidewalk (I think its supposed to be a shared sidewalk on the east side of Archibald, but I’m not sure that ever got completed). Follow the sidewalk all the way to the Fire Hall, and then turn right and make your way to Cosmo Pl and then onto McCalman as above. I kind of think that the first option is preferable.
Hope this helps.
Any update on the Transcona Trail extension? It sounds like Bowman cut it from the budget again.