Winnipeg Walkway

About

The Winnipeg Walkway System, also known as the Winnipeg Skywalk, is a network of pedestrian skyways and tunnels connecting a significant portion of downtown 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-round climate-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 the Winnipeg Millennium Library, bringing together 21,000 employees. The walkway system has expanded since its initial construction. The Walkway is subdivided into four interconnected segments: its skyways chiefly cover Portage, Graham, and St. Mary Avenues; and its underground section includes Winnipeg Square and the underground Portage and Main concourse. It is open every day of the week, typically from 07:00 AM to 6:00 PM, though some individual building hours vary.

Beginning in 2004, in anticipation of the openings of the MTS Centre and Millennium Library, a new unified system of signage was developed for the entire network to assist wayfinding 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 ]

The Main Underground portion of the network is centred underneath the historic intersection of Portage and Main. Until 2025, this intersection was closed to pedestrians; it was not (legally) possible to cross it without going underground.

On a much smaller scale, this segment is somewhat reminiscent of Montreal's Underground City. Via a network of tunnels, the Main Underground connects the following:

- 360 Main (formerly Commodity Exchange Tower )

- 201 Portage (formerly Canwest Place, CanWest Global Place, and TD Centre)

- Concourse Sports/Ergonomic Physiotherapy

- 35 Albert Street (201 Portage Parkade)

- Electric Railway Chambers (Connected via skywalk to second floor of parkade)

- 191 Pioneer (Via 333 Main) At the southwestern corner of Winnipeg 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, with 360 Main and 300 Main built upon them. Construction of the 42-story residential tower at 300 Main Street began in Fall 2018, and was completed in 2021, making it Winnipeg's tallest building.

The Graham Skywalk consists of a series of skyways connecting the buildings on the south side of Graham Avenue, between Main and Hargrave Street, as well as the Canada Life Centre (the former site of the historic Eaton'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:

- Wawanesa Insurance 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.

The Portage Skywalk segment of the Winnipeg Walkway boasts many of the shopping and entertainment attractions most often associated with downtown Winnipeg. An extensive network of skyways and second-floor pedestrian rights-of-way connects various buildings on the south side of Portage Avenue, with the three-block Portage Place shopping and entertainment complex between Carlton and Vaughan Street on the north side. Several neighbouring residential, recreational and commercial buildings, including the One 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 to The 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:

- 340-350 Portage Ave — small two-storey structure

- Manitoba Hydro Place (360 Portage Ave)

- 400 Ellice Ave (Symcor Inc) (Via 400 Webb Pl)

- Fred Douglas Chateau (formerly Kiwanis Chateau)