A massive hole on a city pathway that has triggered safety complaints for more than a year has grown even larger, amid hope a permanent fix is on the way.
Early Friday afternoon, the gaping depression surrounded by bright orange fencing appeared to stretch at least seven metres long, three metres wide and up to one metre deep.
It previously triggered complaints when it was about six metres long in June 2023.
“It’s ridiculous. I walk these trails at least twice a day… and this has been (very large for) a few years,” said Karen Stokes. “It’s an eyesore, I think it’s disgusting … Some of these (guard) rails are in that water. It attracts mosquitoes, there’s lots of reasons that it’s gross.”
At least one barricade was spotted submerged in water, with weeds and algae in the hole on Friday. Most of the damage is located on the path that connects an Amarynth Crescent playground to the busy Sturgeon Creek active transportation route.
Stokes noted the area is so well used by pedestrians and cyclists that their traffic has worn away grass on both sides of the path. During repeated downpours this June, those stretches became a wet, sticky “mud pit,” she said.
“I’ve had to push a senior in a scooter out of the mud… She was literally stuck,” said Stokes.
Even with the fencing and some metal barricades in place, she fears the massive gap still poses a risk to seniors and kids, noting it’s close to a playground.
“For kids, it’s probably a bit of a danger,” Stokes said. “It’s disappointing because these trails are used a lot. Hundreds of people every day are out here and it’s disappointing that (it hasn’t been fixed).”
Spring flooding and rain water appear to wash out the current section of the path in the low-lying area at times, while storms fill it with water, residents said.
Susan Cava-Salie said the gap looks “awful” but she believes the fencing is effective at reducing the risk of someone falling into it.
St. James Coun. Shawn Dobson said the city has proposed a design to repair the path and expects to receive a cost estimate for it soon. The proposed fix would realign part of the path to the west and cover part of the area near the sinkhole with woven concrete to help prevent erosion, while a bank around the creek would also be cut back to reduce the velocity of the water, said Dobson.
He said the hole has persisted for at least two years and poses safety risks, which led him to personally reinstall some barricades around the large depression this spring.
“It is a hazard because there is a hole… This is unexpected because it’s on the pathway,” said Dobson.
The councillor said the problem took time to study, but he supports the current proposal for a more permanent repair.
“It was not the money (delaying repairs). It was figuring out (how to) fix it once versus fixing it every year,” he said.
Dobson said he will push for the path to be fixed this year and would use ward funding to help pay for it, if needed. However, that work isn’t guaranteed at this stage, he noted.
The Free Press reported on the hole in June 2023, when only a small barricade blocked off one of its sides. Fencing was added to surround the entire gap a day after the story was published.
A request to interview a representative from the city’s public works department was not granted Friday.
Dobson said the city previously filled the hole with limestone, followed by wood chips, both of which washed away.
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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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