Winnipeg City Councillor Kevin Klein serving Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood
The Bridge Planning & Operations Branch for the City of Winnipeg is responsible for the City’s bridges.
The Charleswood Bridge over the Assiniboine River connecting Moray Street and William R. Clement Parkway is one of the branches structures. The structure was in the works for a long time before it was constructed. It was a ‘hoped for’ bridge that took decades to realize. It was constructed in 1995 under a 30 year design-build-finance-own-operate-transfer agreement. It was the first private-public-partnership or “P3” in Winnipeg. The proponent was DBF Ltd.
9 interpretive panels were installed at the bridge (5 on the riverbanks and 2 on each bridge span) and were in very poor condition so the branch sought to update and replace them.
A graphic artist hired by the Bridge Planning & Operations Branch, the City’s Historian, the Charleswood Historical Society, and with input from the City of Winnipeg Indigenous Relations “updated” the panels.
The new panels are vibrant and there is a fantastic new panel (the last one) with indigenous art celebrating the indigenous beginnings in the area.
