Sarcastic sign celebrates a decade of construction at Winnipeg intersection

A business sign in Winnipegis getting some attention for a strange celebration.

The sign outside of the Spectrum Health Centre reads, "Celebrating a decade of construction at Portage and Maryland."

Health centre owner and chiropractorDr. Gordon Partridge said they've been at the location on Portage Avenue and Maryland Street for about 15 years and he doesn't remember a time without construction.

"If it goes away for a week it's back within a week. It just never stops," he said.

Partridge put up the sign topoke fun at the infamous construction corner.

"It's really taken off, a lot of people driving by I guess obviously noticed that," he said with a laugh. "Patients, it's become a long standing joke that they find our place by finding the construction. It seems to have hit a chord with people."

City officials said work is "often staged over several construction seasons," and not only were city projects at the corner underway over the past few years, water main renewal and a Manitoba Hydro manholerenewal was done as well.

Now, the city is working on "street and sidewalk renewal" along westbound Portage Avenue. The eastbound side was finished last year.

The latest construction adventure, also the catalyst for the sign, began last Friday without warning, Partridge said.

"The building was shaking because there was a jackhammer breaking up the cement in front of our front door. We had to transfer all of our patients who couldn't walk," he said.

Partridge said that there was so much rubble that the construction workers had one specific person to escort his clients out of the building.

"It was very thoughtful of them, but once again you would like a little bit of warning when something like that is about to happen," he said.

But city officials said to their knowledge, a contractor "wouldn't have hired someone specifically to help people cross the sidewalk under construction but sometimes they will have a flag person or one of the workers assist people to cross a courtesy."

City officials also said businesses typically get written notices about upcoming construction, and for the current round of construction, they worked with the area's business associated to try and get the word out.

Construction cycle leaves clients without access

Partridge said the construction cycle has become an issue. The walkway in front of the building has been torn up so there is no access to the front doors and Partridge said there's also no access to parking or even a way to cross the street.

"In our kind of business we have people in wheelchairs, a lot of elderly, or just people in a lot of pain, so it's been quite tough on them because there's not easy access anymore," he said.

Clay Pearson has been going to the centre once a month for the past few years and said he expects to see construction.

"I park in over there in the gas station lot," Pearson said pointing down the road.

Pearson said he also doesn't recall a time without construction on the corner but he understands work needs to be done.

"People keep complaining 'well how come my road isn't being repaired and my sidewalk?' Well take a look. Drive around, there's more than they can deal with and they're at the pointwhere they'll never catch up," he said.

Partridge said he's spoken with many different branches of the cityin regards to the construction,timelinesor better communication about when it's happening and it doesn't seem to help. But he holds out hope because it would be too costly and onerous to move locations.

"You think surely this is the last time and then sure enough the next week something happens," he said. "You put up hope that eventually they are going to get this right."