St. James Costco traffic lights on public works committee agenda

Bulk deal enthusiasts rejoice: the St. James Costco warehouse may be one step further to getting a traffic light at its north entryway.

The city’s public works committee will discuss a proposed cost agreement between the city and the Costco Wholesale Corp. that would see traffic-control signals installed at the north exit of the St. James Street warehouse.

Costco would pay the suggested $250,000 capital cost of the traffic lights, and the $5,000 annual maintenance costs would come from the public works department’s operating budget.

“Discussions have been ongoing between the Winnipeg public service and Costco… about the contemplated traffic control signal, and are at the stage where increased interest has been expressed to enter into the formalized agreement,” the report, which is available online, reads.

The report recommends that the public works committee accept the cost agreement.

The motion will come to a vote Tuesday.

A November 2023 review that looked at collisions in the area determined a traffic light would make the exit safer. At the time, a city spokesman said about 13,700 vehicles travel through the area on an average day.

Currently, Costco occasionally pays for special duty police officers to direct traffic.

A city report from June 2023 revealed that a fourth Costco warehouse was in the works at 4077 Portage Ave., in the Assiniboia Downs area.