ManitobaA new City of Winnipeg report pegs the cost of decommissioning the underground concourse at Portage and Main at $11 million. City staff recommend keeping the concourse open for now, while the city does a cost-benefit analysis of options.City of Winnipeg will do cost-benefit analysis of options, including divestment, repair strategiesCameron MacLean · CBC News · Posted: Sep 08, 2025 6:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoThe City of Winnipeg will conduct a cost-benefit analysis to consider options for decommissioning the concourse underneath Portage and Main. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)A new City of Winnipeg report pegs the cost of decommissioning the underground concourse at Portage and Main at $11 million, but its long-term future remains uncertain. A study by the consulting firm Crosier Kilgour pegs the cost of filling in the Portage and Main concourse with concrete at nearly $8 million, but project management costs and contingencies could push that up to $11 million.The city made the decision to close the underground concourse and reopen Portage and Main to pedestrians last year. City staff recommend keeping the concourse open for now, while the city does a cost-benefit analysis of options.That will include property value impacts, operating costs, divestment options and alternate repair and maintenance strategies.Mayor Scott Gillingham supports the city considering its options.”I don’t want to see this drag on and on and on,” Gillingham told reporters at city hall on Monday.”On the flip side, we don’t want to rush departments to give us reports that don’t have the complete information.”Portage and Main reopened to pedestrians in June for the first time since February 1979. (Travis Golby/CBC)The waterproof membrane beneath the street is leaking and needs to be replaced, which the city had estimated would take four to five years of traffic disruptions, at a total cost of at least $73 million. The new report estimates membrane work and street repairs would cost $57 million. However, some of that membrane work was already done when crews removed the barricades and installed pedestrian crossings at street level this year. The report says another study is needed to determine how that affects the cost of the remaining work.Coun. Jeff Browaty, chair of the finance committee, said the cost of decommissioning the concourse had originally been expected to be included in the 2025 budget. “They didn’t come back with that cost. They came back now after the fact way late with this report that just gives a number and we’re not even sure if we’re comparing apples to apples,” Browaty said.”If the concourse can continue operating safely, I think it should stay open. That said, we need to give downtown and the building owners and the business owners some direction.”Business owner wants answersThere are currently six businesses operating in the concourse, five of whom responded to a city survey on the closure, with four expressing opposition to the closure. Eric Chi owns the Eshel Tree convenience store. He said the city needs to make up its mind about whether to close the underground.”For me, the city has only two options right? To keep it open or to close it down. So either way, in my opinion, I have to close,” he said.The head of an organization representing the building owners connected to the concourse said it’s a vital part of the downtown network, and repairing it is the only option the city should be considering.”This is a publicly owned asset. It was built with taxpayer dollars. It should be taken care of with the same care that private owners take care of their buildings,” said Tom Thiessen, executive director of the Building Owners and Managers Association.Meanwhile, business owners like Chi just have to wait.”There’s nothing for me to do, right? But I want to know as soon as possible, what’s their decision, what’s their thinking, what’s their plan?”There’s no timeline for when the cost benefit analysis will be done, so for now, people will be able to continue walking through the concourse until the city decides what to do with it.Portage and Main decommissioning would cost $11M, report saysThe City of Winnipeg has a clearer picture of what it would cost to decommission the underground concourse at Portage and Main, but its long-term future remains uncertain.ABOUT THE AUTHORCameron MacLean is a journalist for CBC Manitoba living in Winnipeg, where he was born and raised. He has more than a decade of experience reporting in the city and across Manitoba, covering a wide range of topics, including courts, politics, housing, arts, health and breaking news. Email story tips to cameron.maclean@cbc.ca.
Filling in Portage and Main concourse would cost $11M, but future remains uncertain
