A missing link in Brandon traffic flow has been filled with the barricades now down on the 1st Street-Pacific Avenue connection.
The Manitoba Infrastructure project saw Pacific Avenue re-oriented at 2nd Street to curve towards and intersect with 1st just South of the bridge spans.
The work represents the final major piece of the 1st Street Bridge replacement project that saw initial construction begin in late 2015. The bridge spans themselves were completed and open to two lane traffic in both directions in late 2017.
The previous 1st-Pacific intersection was regarded as one of the more dangerous in the city for its proximity to the bridge and poor sight lines for turning motorists. If you don't believe me, I wouldn't begrudge your taking a stroll down memory lane with Google Streetview.
A look at the newly oriented Pacific from the North
A 360 panorama of the intersection. Click/tap within the image to have a look around.
The first few passes through the new setup are likely to be an adjustment for motorists adapting to the design used to facilitate turns on and off of each street. Any short-term pain is bound to be offset by once again having a free-flowing connection directly between the city's two major railway crossings.
Cyclists making use of the newly added connection will also notice a new temporary Pacific Ave bike lane on the North side of street, put in place by the City of Brandon for exclusive use by cyclists until the fall.
The project had originally been scheduled for a fall 2019 completion but was delayed due to effects of the historic rains seen in the area last year.
With some final finishing touches left at 1st, local focus will then shift to the next major planned infrastructure project in the city as preparations continue on a planned replacement of the 18th Street Daly Overpass. At last word that project was scheduled to begin in the Spring.