Winnipeg council approves plan to open Portage and Main intersection to pedestrians

Winnipeg city council has approved a plan to reopen Portage Avenue and Main Street to pedestrians, marking a turning point in the long-running debate over what to do with the city’s most famous intersection. 

In a vote of 11 in favour and three against, the decision sets in motion a process that aims to open the intersection to foot traffic at street level for the first time in more than four decades, with a target date of July 1, 2025.

The vote came weeks after a report said it would cost $73 million to replace the waterproof membrane protecting the underground concourse,