The bandages have come off, and we can finally see the results of the facelift Saskatchewan Avenue has received.
The Saskatchewan Avenue Revitalization project took three years to complete, costing a total of $25 million. The funding was provided by the Government of Canada, the Government of Manitoba, and the City of Portage la Prairie.
Local historian James Kostuchuk describes this as a long-awaited development for the city.
"When I first moved here, over 30 years ago, people complained about the lack of action on improving Saskatchewan Avenue. Especially here on the west end, and it finally happened. So, I mean, that's big news."
The historian explains that when people first hear "Saskatchewan Avenue," they often get confused, since rural towns typically have a Main Street called "Main Street," but this is not the case in Portage la Prairie.
"That comes from the days of the Ox Cart Trail from Winnipeg to Portage la Prairie. That Ox Cart Trail would lead you from Portage la Prairie to Saskatchewan, so the roadway became Saskatchewan Avenue. It's appropriate because if you stick on that road, you're going to Saskatchewan."
Kostuchuk mentions a map from 1908 that referred to the avenue as Saskatchewan Avenue, which has remained unchanged, unlike other downtown streets that have been renamed with numbers.
"Other things that I found interesting about Saskatchewan Avenue was that it's very wide, and apparently that is because when ox carts travelled, they would create deep ruts, and rain would create ruts that you would sink up to the axles. So, the idea was to have a wide thoroughfare so that you wouldn't necessarily ride in the cart in front of you when they were travelling with an ox cart. You would have room to move over slightly so that you wouldn't get caught in the ruts, so that's one of the reasons why our street is so wide."
Kostuchuk states that people have always resisted changes, like when wagons began sharing the road with vehicles.
"I know that caused a lot of people to become uneasy because, suddenly, automobiles were available, and there weren't a lot of rules; those came later. You were working without signage and stoplights. Many carriage operators objected to sharing Saskatchewan with the automobile. But now Saskatchewan Avenue is built just for automobiles."
A complaint Kostuchuk has listened to from some community members is that there is now better infrastructure for walking and cycling.
"That bothers a lot of people, but you think about in the future, people may see that that was a wise decision because really people should be walking where they can or taking a bicycle, and if we can facilitate safe travel by modes other than car that's a good thing. I look at other places that have bicycle infrastructure and where people cycle everywhere. Still, it is inconvenient to try and cycle on Saskatchewan Avenue. Again, the mindset was that everything is for the car, and that's a social thing. If we decide to become a more bicycle-centred community, then you know these new bike lanes will help encourage that."
He stresses that making walking and biking more accessible, as they did with this project, is crucial. Some people walk and bike because they enjoy it, while others do so out of necessity since they do not own a car and Portage la Prairie lacks public transportation.
"When you look at the photos of our main thoroughfare, I mean it's been slow but steady. Every change has been an inconvenience, but it's getting better."
Kostuchuk notes his final thoughts on the time spent on the project to bring Portage more up-to-date with twenty-first-century standards.
"Was it irritating in the short term? Of course. But I think we'll all be very happy and proud of this final result."