Winnipeg city council has agreed to delay a decision on the future of the Portage and Main underground concourse until 2027, a move critics say pushes a costly and controversial debate beyond next year’s municipal election.

The Executive Policy Committee (EPC) voted earlier this month to accept a decommissioning study prepared by Crosier Kilgour & Partners Ltd., but directed city staff to return with a full cost-benefit analysis in January 2027. The study pegged the cost of a full closure of the concourse at $11.14 million, with a partial decommissioning estimated at $9.44 million.

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Council initially told residents that closing the concourse and reopening Portage and Main to pedestrian crossings would be the cheaper option. Now, both are being studied in tandem, raisin

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