Saskatchewan Avenue West

1) What the is reason for the Roadway Redesign? 

The City of Portage la Prairie is developing and implementing roadway improvements along Saskatchewan Avenue West.  Upgrading Saskatchewan Avenue West to a modern design and current accessibility standards will make the street accessible for vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians while providing a consistent and commercially vibrant pedestrian connection to the downtown. This project will also renew the underground City services such as land drainage, wastewater sewer, and watermains.

To achieve this, the project will occur in two phases:

Phase 1: Improvements to the Watermain and Wastewater Sewer Infrastructure (Spring 2022 – Spring 2023). This scope includes:

• Replacement of the aging watermain and wastewater sewer infrastructure

Phase 2:  Upgrades to the Land Drainage Sewer System, Roadway, and Streetscape Improvements (Autumn 2022 – Autumn 2024). This scope includes:

• An improved and safer roadway that will include a separation median and left turn lanes where required
• Renewed roadway surfaces to improve drainage and rideability
• Improved and new sidewalks and pedestrian crossings
• Improved accessibility to accommodate people of all ages and abilities
• Improved and environmentally friendly land drainage control
• Safer vehicle parking
• Dedicated and protected bicycle lanes
• Improved energy efficient lighting
• Community-enhancing, business-friendly streetscaping and gathering spaces
• Improved greenspaces in the median and boulevard

2) Why change the parking from perpendicular to parallel?

To bring Saskatchewan Avenue West to modern roadway design and accessibility standards, the existing perpendicular parking will be re-organized to parallel parking. This change results in safer vehicular movements as parked vehicles will no longer be backing into on-coming traffic.  This parking re-organization continues the downtown parallel parking plan on Saskatchewan Avenue East while allowing the sidewalk and boulevards to widen for better pedestrian and cyclist connections. The space gained by re-organizing the parking also provides space for new street trees, soft landscape improvements and new pedestrian lighting.

3) What improvements are being made to the accessibility on Saskatchewan Avenue West?

Along the north side of Saskatchewan Avenue West will be a paved 3.0m (10’-0”) wide multi-use path connecting the Fisher Avenue active transportation path to 18^th Street NW.  From 18^th to 4^th Street NW will be a continuous 1.8m (6’-0”) wide concrete sidewalk.

Along the south side of Saskatchewan Avenue West will be a 1.8m (6’-0”) wide continuous concrete sidewalk connecting Elm to 4^th Street SW.

Once construction is complete Saskatchewan Avenue will have a continuous sidewalk connection from Elm Street to 10^th Street East.

The dark, longitudinal paver band within the new concrete sidewalks will provide visual and tactile guidance along the path of travel.

To move safely and smoothly from the roadway to the sidewalk, curb ramps will be implemented. Curb ramps are sloped access points from the sidewalk down to the roadway and are included at all private approaches, pedestrian crossings, side streets, and major intersections for ease of accessibility. Yellow tactile warning tiles will be used inside the curb ramps at major intersections and side streets which serve as textural cues for pedestrians who are visually impaired. These tiles let users know when they are leaving the sidewalk and entering the roadway.

4) Why are bicycle lanes implemented on Saskatchewan Avenue West?

The redesign of Saskatchewan Avenue West to include 1.8m (6’-0”) wide protected bicycle lanes is part of the federal funding grant to improve the City’s multi-modal opportunities and offer climate change friendly alternatives to driving.

5) How will pedestrian lighting improve the street?

The roadway lighting renewal along Saskatchewan Avenue West is currently underway. The street will be lit by 45’ high overhead roadway lighting provided by Manitoba Hydro at regular intervals which greatly benefits traffic.

To create a comfortable pedestrian and cyclist experience, lighting levels are required to be human scale. The pedestrian scale lights selected for Saskatchewan Avenue West are energy-efficient LED fixtures, approximately 14’ above the ground. The fixtures distribute light to the sidewalk and bike lanes, minimizing conflict with the overhead roadway lighting and glare for drivers. This street lighting provides continuity in scale connecting Saskatchewan Avenue West with the downtown. Improved street lighting enables comfortable walkable and bikeable spaces, encourages alternative modes of transportation, and supports the street as a place and less of a thoroughfare.

6) How will green infrastructure benefit Portage la Prairie?

Green infrastructure is a necessary design component implemented in this project to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The bioswales are designed to capture stormwater run-off and slow down the process of releasing water into the stormwater system.  The capture allows the water-tolerant vegetation and engineered soil to filter and transpire the stormwater, reducing pollutants and sediment before reaching the new outfalls in Crescent Lake.

The renewed urban tree canopy improves air quality by reducing greenhouse gases. The canopy also provides significant cooling benefits by not only reducing the environmental temperature but also reducing the cooling demand on building surfaces to conserve energy.

Street trees and green infrastructure not only benefit environmental health, but they also enhance the aesthetic qualities of the street often increasing property values and marketability.

7) How will the urban tree canopy be improved?

To ensure greater biodiversity, three different species will be planted along Saskatchewan Avenue West:

1. Discovery Japanese Elm: Ulmus davidiana japonica ‘Discovery’
2. Silver Cloud Maple: Acer saccharinum ‘Silver Cloud’
3. Delta Hackberry: Celtis occidentalis

These trees are better suited to the urban environment.  The elm is a variant that is less susceptible to Dutch elm disease (DED) than the typical American elm. Even with a mild risk of DED, elm trees remain the very best tree for urban streets.  The maple is rated well for cold hardiness, nicely fast growing and will provide a striking autumnal accent. The Delta Hackberry is a native species sourced from Delta, Manitoba.  Hackberry have been performing extremely well in urban conditions and we’re excited to feature this local tree on Saskatchewan Avenue.

Cottonwood trees are beautiful and have many desirable landscape characteristics. However, due to their massive size and ability to produce large amounts of cotton-like seeds, they aren’t a species that are well-suited to a streetscape.

Where new trees are located within the paver zone, Silva Cells are used below the surface to maintain sufficient soil volume. The Silva Cell system is designed to provide uncompacted soil beneath the pavement for the tree roots to expand resulting in healthier, happier urban trees.

8) 8^th Street SW Intersection:

The engineering team has recommended that 8^th Street SW become a one-way southbound street from Saskatchewan Avenue West to St. George Avenue. The new intersection design reduces the potential for north/south collisions and improves roadway definition while reducing pedestrian crossing distances and the number of intersection movements.  This change improves safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Why does 8^th Street require a change?

The existing intersection at 8^th Street and Saskatchewan Avenue West is an offset intersection, meaning the north and south sides of the street are not aligned. This offset alignment results in a wider intersection with poorly defined lanes. The problems which can occur are vehicles drifting from their lanes, vehicles not being in their proper location, and an increased potential for collisions.

How does it work?

The following diagrams illustrate how traffic will access 8^th Street SW from all directions:

Why can’t we realign 8^th Street?

For the City of Portage to correct the intersection and maintain the existing two-way traffic, one side of the street would need to be realigned. To do this, the City would need to obtain property and disrupt businesses or residents which can be a long, contentious, and expensive process that typically results in property owners/residents feeling unfairly treated.

To avoid this process and reduce the potential for collisions 8^th Street SW will be converted to a one-way operation, between Saskatchewan Avenue West and St. George Avenue.