Graham Avenue Transit Mall
 | |
| Type | Transit mall |
|---|---|
| From | Vaughan St |
| To | Main St |
| Construction | |
| Construction start | 1994 |
| Completion | 1995 |
The Graham Avenue Transit Mall is a 9-block transit mall in downtown Winnipeg that is mostly reserved for Winnipeg Transit buses, as well as cyclists and pedestrians.[1][2]
Having been in the planning stages since the 1970s, Graham Mall was completed in 1995.[1] Today, the Mall sees 1,800 buses and 100,000 transit users every day.[2][3] It is built mostly of highway-grade concrete and features cobblestone brick at all intersections.
History
[edit]Funding and construction of the Graham Avenue Transit Mall began in 1994,[4] and after two years (1994-95) opened in the summer of 1995.[1]
In recent years, road work around the mall has begun to degrade and is in need of serious maintenance work on concrete and cobblestones to keep the roadway smooth.[5] In December 2018, due to safety concerns, including the killing of 58-year-old bus driver Irvine Fraser by a passenger, a Transit Inspector Station was constructed at Graham Avenue and Fort Street.[6]
CentrePlan 2050
[edit]As part of CentrePlan 2050, which aims to get more people living and visiting Downtown, bus service will move off of Graham Avenue starting June 29, 2025 with the launch of the Primary Transit Network.[7][8] Several options of how to use the space were proposed by the city for public engagement, with varying levels of emphasis on uses like greenspace, recreation, and celebration, however many survey respondents indicated that public transportation should remain on Graham Avenue to make working and visiting Downtown faster and easier.[9][10]
Bus Routes
[edit]The following are current bus routes operating on all or part of the Graham Avenue Transit Mall as of March 2024.[11]
- BLUE
- 16 Selkirk / Osborne
- 17 McGregor
- 18 North Main / Corydon
- 20 Watt / Academy
- 30 Inkster Park Express
- 31 Keewatin Express
- 32 North Main Express
- 33 Maples
- 34 McPhillips Super Express
- 35 Maples Super Express
- 42 Plessis Express
- 44 Grey
- 45 Talbot
- 46 Transcona Express
- 48 McMeans Express
- 49 Dugald
- 58 Dakota Express
- 60 Pembina
- 68 Grosvenor
Major businesses on the Transit Mall
[edit]- Hudson's Bay Co. department store
- Manitoba Hydro
- Holy Trinity Anglican Church
- Millennium Library
- Winnipeg Police HQ
- Cityplace (shopping centre & offices)
- CTV Winnipeg
- Canada Life Centre
- True North Square
- Winnipeg Square an underground shopping centre
- Artis Reit Residential Tower (300 Main), a 42-storey apartment complex
- GoodLife Fitness Centre (330 Main)
- 360 Main
- Cargill Building
- 200 Graham Ave.
- CDI College
- Royal Winnipeg Ballet School
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Moving Forward on Rapid Transit: Initial Project ," City of Winnipeg. Retrieved 2021 July 15.
- ^ a b "Pedestrians dart through Graham Avenue transit traffic: 'It's very dangerous' - Winnipeg | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ^ Cash, Martin (December 14, 2018). "Mall no more". Winnipeg Free Press.
- ^ Robertson, Bud (May 3, 1994). "Transit corridor coming to life". Winnipeg Free Press. p. B1.
- ^ Keele, Jeff (May 8, 2017). "Graham cobblestone corridor becoming eyesore". CTV Winnipeg. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ Hatherly, Dana (2018-12-27). "Transit inspector stations in force at busiest, most dangerous downtown bus stops". CBC News. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
- ^ "Re-imagining Graham Avenue | Engage Winnipeg". Engage Winnipeg. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ "The Primary Transit Network and its feeder routes | City of Winnipeg". City of Winnipeg. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ "CentrePlan 2050 Phase 1 Public Engagement Summary". City of Winnipeg. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ "Appendix F – Re-imagining Graham Avenue". City of Winnipeg. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ "Winnipeg Transit System Map June 2022" (PDF). Winnipeg Transit. June 10, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2024.