Winnipeg Free Press
Sunday, April 2nd, 2006
Mary Agnes Welch
THE city and province are still haggling over who should pay for the extension of Kenaston Boulevard through Waverley West.
Staff in the mayor's office and with the province say negotiations are ongoing, but a deadline is looming.
The province, which owns the northern portion of Waverley West, is hoping to begin servicing land and preparing lots next year. That can't begin without a long string of plan approvals, neighbourhood designs, development agreements and land subdivisions. That process rests partly on the design and funding of Kenaston.
The province wants to design Kenaston as a winding expressway that splits temporarily into two one-way routes with a commercial centre nestled in the middle.
That configuration roughly doubles the costs of Kenaston. Running the road directly south from Bishop Grandin Boulevard would cost roughly $32 million. Jogging Kenaston to the west and splitting it in two pushes the cost to about $60 million, according to very preliminary estimates.
Since the province is championing the newfangled design, the city wants it to help cover the increased costs.
But that's not the only demand.
The city's plan is to extend Kenaston to the Perimeter Highway within 10 years of the first homes sprouting up in Waverley West suburb. Waverley Street would be closed, making Kenaston the city's major trade link to Highway 75 and the U.S. border.
Because Kenaston is critical to the province's economy and transportation network, the city wants the province to help pay for the entire expressway.
A formal public hearing to debate the overall blueprint for Waverley West is slated for April 20 at City Hall.
maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca