Starting tonight, those who travel past St. Boniface Hospital may have to find alternate routes.

Southbound Tache Avenue between Provencher Boulevard and Despins Street will be closed as crews work to stabilize the riverbank. Northbound will remain open.

The work starts at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12 and will run until March 15.

Because northbound Tache will remain open, you can keep that part of your commute the same. When you do need to avoid it, potential detour routes include:

  • Main Street / Marion Street - You can jump around Tache on the other side of the Red River using Main and Marion. These are typically busy streets, with the left turn lane on southbound Main often backing up over the Red River. Should be used during low traffic hours.
  • Des Meurons Street - Des Meurons is the first major street east of Tache Avenue. This route can get busy, especially if you are travelling east on Provencher when a train crosses the street. Des Meurons also runs south towards Fermor but does not connect, so it's useful for travelling deeper into St. Boniface or Old St. Vital.
  • St. Jean Baptiste Street / Enfield Crescent - This is the only side street that runs from Provencher to Marion. The street will be filled with parked cars and you will have to drive slower, but could be a good potential route if everything else is backed up.
  • Archibald Street - Quite a ways west but typically boasts faster traffic, especially going southbound between Provencher and Marion.

For bus goers, the closure affects route 56 and a number of stops along De La Cathedrale. For both directions, the detour will mean:

  • Route 56 (to St. Boniface) from Hamel Avenue
    • Turn south on Aulneau Street
    • Turn west on Despins Street
    • Turn south on Tache Avenue 
  • Route 56 (Portage & Garry and Universtiy of Winnipeg)
    • Turn east on Despins Street
    • Turn north on Aulneau Street
    • Turn east on Hamel Avenue