TheWinnipeg Walkway System, also known as theWinnipeg Skywalk, is a network of pedestrianskyways andtunnels connecting a significant portion ofdowntown Winnipeg,Manitoba.
The City of Winnipeg described the Walkway as a system of 14 skyways and 7 tunnels connecting 38 buildings and allowing for a maximum protected walk of 2 km. The system also provides year-roundclimate-controlled access to over 170,000 m2 (42 acres) of space, including over 200 shops and businesses, 10 office complexes, 60 restaurants and snack bars, 700 apartment units, 2 hotels, 11 financial centres, and theWinnipeg Millennium Library, bringing together 21,000 employees.[1][2] The walkway system has expanded since its initial construction.[3]
The Walkway is subdivided into four interconnected segments: its skyways chiefly coverPortage,Graham, and St. Mary Avenues; and its underground section includesWinnipeg Square and the undergroundPortage and Main concourse.[4][5]
It is open every day of the week, typically from 07:00 AM to 6:00 PM, though some individual building hours vary.[1]
Beginning in 2004, in anticipation of the openings of theMTS Centre andMillennium Library, a new unified system of signage was developed for the entire network to assistwayfinding therein. This process brought with it the branding of the system as the Winnipeg Walkway and the subdivision of the network into four interconnected segments.[citation needed]
TheMain Underground portion of the network is centred underneath the historic intersection ofPortage and Main.[5] At street level, this intersection is closed to pedestrians; it is not (legally) possible to cross it without going underground.
On a much smaller scale, this segment is somewhat reminiscent of Montreal'sUnderground City. Via a network of tunnels, the Main Underground connects the following:[5]
At the southwestern corner ofWinnipeg Square, near the intersection of Graham Avenue and Fort Street, there are escalator, lift and stairway connections to the second floor of 200 Graham Avenue, thereby connecting the Main Underground to the Graham Skywalk.
There are several structural pads atop Winnipeg Square, with360 Main and300 Main built upon them. Construction of the 42-story residential tower at 300 Main Street began in Fall 2018,[6] and was completed in 2021, making it Winnipeg's tallest building.[7]
TheGraham Skywalk consists of a series of skyways connecting the buildings on the south side of Graham Avenue, betweenMain and Hargrave Street, as well as theCanada Life Centre (the former site of the historicEaton's store) and the former Eaton's power station on the north side.
From east to west, this portion of the network provides access to the following:[5]
The Canada Life Centre can be said to be a major hub in the Winnipeg Walkway network as it connects the Graham Skywalk to the Portage Skywalk.
ThePortage Skywalk segment of the Winnipeg Walkway boasts many of the shopping and entertainment attractions most often associated withdowntown Winnipeg. An extensive network ofskyways and second-floor pedestrian rights-of-way connects various buildings on the south side ofPortage Avenue, with the three-blockPortage Place shopping and entertainment complex between Carlton and Vaughan Street on the north side. Several neighbouring residential, recreational and commercial buildings, including theOne Canada Centre tower between Vaughan and Colony Street, are directly connected to Portage Place. At the western edge of Portage Place there is a skyway link toThe Bay department store and the Power Building on the south side of Portage Avenue. Via an open-air connection through the covered parkade of The Bay, the network reaches further south, providing access to the Saint Mary Skywalk.
More specifically, from east to west, the Portage Skywalk links the following:[5]
As was the case with the construction ofWinnipeg Square, structural pads were built atop Portage Place to allow for future upward expansion.[6] There is one atop each end, and there is currently a plan for an office and hotel tower to be built on the western pad.[16][17]
TheSaint Mary Skywalk is both the smallest, and the most tenuously-linked segment of the Winnipeg Walkway System. Its only connection to the network is via theparkade ofThe Bay department store.
Beginning from The Bay parkade eastward, the Saint Mary Skywalk connects two buildings between Vaughan and Edmonton Street:[5]
The western segment of the Saint Mary Skywalk ends at 400 Saint Mary Avenue; however, it continues again from theRBC Convention Centre, whose entrance faces Edmonton Street, and connects into the Graham Skywalk viaCityplace.[5]
The connection between the pre-existingConvention Centre walkway system and the Winnipeg Walkway system was completed in 2010.[3] On the two blocks bordered by Edmonton Street, Saint Mary Avenue, York Avenue, and Hargrave Street is a residential and commercial complex consisting of the Convention Centre and the various buildings ofLakeview Square.
A network of pedestrian tunnels and skyways connects the following buildings, from east to west:[5]
The Convention Centre is connected by skyways to both 185 and 155 Carlton Street. The Lakeview Square development forms a 'U' around an open centralcourtyard which faces the Convention Centre across Carlton Street.
In addition to the Winnipeg Walkway, is another smaller enclosed pedestrian network in downtown Winnipeg that is not currently connected to the principal Walkway network.
Another series of interconnected buildings straddle Main Street, approximately 1 km north ofPortage and Main. On the west side of Main Street is the Winnipeg Civic Centre and on the east side is theManitoba Centennial Centre. This pedestrian network's tunnels link the following public buildings:
Unlike the Convention Centre pedestrian network, creating a pedestrian link between the Civic Centre and the principal Winnipeg Walkway System is unlikely in the foreseeable future. Not only is the distance great between the Main Underground and the Civic Centre, but any connection between the two would require sensitive tunneling underneathturn-of-the-century heritage buildings over several blocks.
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49°53′44″N97°08′19″W / 49.89556°N 97.13861°W /49.89556; -97.13861
