New site for Transit garage elusive: city report

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This article was published 24/04/2023 (1188 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City of Winnipeg is still searching for a site to replace Transit’s north garage, years after it began looking for one.

A report on the $200-million project to replace the garage at 1520 Main St., at a new location, notes the facility lacks capacity to support some buses and Winnipeg Transit’s transition to a zero-emission fleet.

“The existing north garage… is in poor condition and functionally obsolete,” writes Jesse Crowder, manager of Winnipeg Transit’s asset management office, in a new public service report.

The facility can’t accommodate future zero-emission vehicles, nor can it house buses that are articulated, have bike racks, or are equipped with roof-mounted air conditioners, Crowder adds.

After exploring potential city-owned sites for the project in 2017, the government issued an expression of interest for other land in 2020. That search produced one option, but the city didn’t have funding approved in time to pursue it, the report states. A second EOI in 2022 also attracted one response, but was deemed “unsuitable” due to timing, existing leases and remediation/demolition costs, according to Winnipeg Transit.

In an email, Transit spokeswoman Megan Benedictson said the city had expected “a low number of responses” to provide possible sites for the new north garage.

“While there has been limited response to the expressions of interest issued, it’s important to note that: the site requirements for this project are stringent (and) the market for suitable land is limited,” wrote Benedictson.

City staff are exploring a new undisclosed location that would combine a mix of city-owned and private land for the garage. The city hopes to finish negotiations on that option by the end of this year, the staff report says.

The extended timeline to secure a site reflects the fact the project was only recently approved for a funding deal between the city, province and federal government and it requires a lot with access to a substantial green power supply for zero-emission buses, said Coun. Jeff Browaty, chairman of the finance committee.

The report notes the $200-million price tag is a preliminary estimate, which not been adjusted for inflation since at least 2020.

Browaty said the city will focus on ensuring those costs are covered.

“We’re certainly working to make sure those ratios of funding (between governments) are being maintained, even with the dramatic inflationary costs we’re seeing with (construction) projects,” he said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga