Winnipeg | 90 Alexander Ave | (Great West Metal Redevelopment)

[cllew]

Originally Posted by dam_well

Fair point. I wonder though if there's another type of boat that could be used that doesn't sit very low in the water. Some sort of jet boat maybe?

In the end it's probably a pipe dream but if some sort of water taxi network could be built it would be awesome.

Maybe use a Hydrofoil hull but there may be complaints about the noise from the people living on the river property

[peg]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

^the historic riverboats on the Assiniboine always fascinated me. There are railway bridges over the Assiniboine at Rte 90 and in Headingley designed to swing open for riverboats. But I think neither ever operated because the railways basically put the boats out of business. But those boats only operated during the spring high water. I’m sure with enough money the shallow sections could be engineered and dredged to deepen the channel for navigation out to the park, but thats just a pipe dream of mine. Would be cool though.

Yes! the Route 90 Swing bridge especially has always been so fascinating to me. The gears and inner workings of the swing and lock mechanism are still intact under the bridge.

I have heard multiple people claim it has never opened and I believe this - but I would love to see a deep dive into the history of this bridge to answer that question!

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by peg

Yes! the Route 90 Swing bridge especially has always been so fascinating to me. The gears and inner workings of the swing and lock mechanism are still intact under the bridge.

I have heard multiple people claim it has never opened and I believe this - but I would love to see a deep dive into the history of this bridge to answer that question!

I dug into this question a few years ago. I even emailed Alec Katz, the current bridge owner, and he claimed that it had never opened. But I can’t find anything written about that specifically. The bridge opened in 1908, so that would have been well after the end of the riverboat era (1885 according to the link you shared), so I can’t imagine any need for the swing span by 1908.
An interesting fact: before the St James bridge was built, the rail bridge accommodated automobile and other non-rail traffic. That seems hard to imagine.

http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/cnroakpointbridge.shtml

[peg]

I walked to the east exchange on the weekend and passed under 90 Alexander (The Bend).

Though none of the CRUs are filled yet, the semi-public space was really cool. The CRU that fronts the waterfront has a stunning river view.

Love the weird stairs too!

[pspeid]

^^Thanks for the photos!

I know a number of people decry the mundane architecture they see being constructed in the city, and their comments aren't without merit.

However the city also has some very interesting buildings, old and new, providing some eye-catching design, like those shown above.

I have often thought film production crews looking for interesting spaces to film their movies should frequent this forum. When I saw the "weird stairs" all I could think of was "chase scene", though that probably says more about my sense of reality than anything else. Still, lots of interesting vistas in this town.

[Labroco]

Is there any update on occupancy levels in this project? Any nibbles on the ground floor retail space?


Thx