Empress Street overpass near Polo Park shut down early 'out of an abundance of caution'

The City of Winnipeg has shut down part of the Empress Street overpass over Portage Avenue earlier than expected after an engineer discovered it needed more rehabilitation than originally thought.

The southbound lanes on Empress Street between Westway and St. John Ambulance Way frequently used by Polo Park shoppers to head east on Portage Avenue were originally supposed to be closed on April 29, but the city shut them down Wednesday at 6 p.m.

"[P]lanned construction activities revealed an increase in the magnitude and quantity of works required underneath the overpass, and the decision was made to implement the closure now out of an abundance of caution," the city said in a news release.

The city will begin installing wayfinding signs in the Polo Park area Thursday to help drivers navigate the closure.

Drivers leaving the Polo Park shopping centre area who wantto head east on Portage Avenue shoulduse the left hand turn signal at St. Jamesand Portage, the city says.

At a finance committee meeting Thursday, members of the public service said it was an engineer consultant who told the city the southbound section of the overpass had to be shut down to traffic "as soon as possible."

The overpass will remain closed until Nov. 29, 2019.The northbound section of the overpass remains open.