Confusion Corner
Encyclopedia
Osborne Junction, more commonly known as Confusion Corner, is a street intersection
in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
. Located at the junction of City Route 62
and City Route 42
in the city's Fort Rouge neighbourhood, the intersection is a major traffic hub through which most traffic between downtown and the southwest quadrant of the city must pass, but is infamous for being complex and difficult for unfamiliar or distracted drivers to navigate correctly.
The intersection is defined by two one-way segments of Route 42, which has the street names Pembina Highway west of the intersection, and Donald Street and McMillan Avenue east of the intersection, intersecting Route 62 (Osborne Street) in a rhomboid
shape. City Route 95
(Corydon Avenue) does not directly enter the junction of the two routes, instead beginning at the southwestern corner of the rhomboid, although traffic to and from the terminus of Corydon Avenue does funnel through the junction.
segment of McMillan Avenue.
Northbound traffic on Route 42 must filter into one of three lanes. The leftmost lane, which is separated from the other two by a median strip, instead merges with an eastbound lane coming from Corydon Avenue. Traffic in this lane may head straight through the intersection onto Donald or may turn north onto Osborne; traffic in the other two lanes may head straight through the intersection or turn south onto Osborne.
The triangle created by the separation of Pembina Highway's northbound and southbound lanes at Osborne is also bisected by a dedicated lane reserved for Winnipeg Transit
buses. The rightmost lane of Osborne along the side of the triangle is also reserved for buses; in 2007, the city of Winnipeg repaved the bus-only lanes in a different colour of pavement than the rest of the roadway.
Northbound traffic on Osborne must turn right onto Donald to access any of the cross streets, and drivers seeking to head west on Corydon or south on Pembina must then loop back along McMillan. Northbound cars cannot turn directly onto Pembina at the McMillan/Pembina intersection. Drivers approaching the intersection from this direction see the intersection's most iconic traffic sign.
via Jessie Street to return to Pembina's other set of northbound lanes.
' song "Civil Twilight", from their 2007 album Reunion Tour
. The song is written from the perspective of a Winnipeg Transit driver.
The television series Less Than Kind
, set in Winnipeg, based its title logo on the sign approaching the intersection northbound along Osborne Street.http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Osborne+%26+Corydon+Avenue,+Winnipeg,+Manitoba&aq=&sll=49.874794,-97.141407&sspn=0.006403,0.021136&g=Osborne,+Corydon+Avenue,+Winnipeg,+Manitoba&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Osborne+St+%26+Corydon+Ave,+Winnipeg,+Division+No.+11,+Manitoba&ll=49.871787,-97.139794&spn=0.003056,0.010568&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=49.871841,-97.139831&panoid=-SbjiCFUQRVIGEW-sE2FMA&cbp=12,341.08,,0,3.54Street View]
Intersection
Intersection has various meanings in different contexts:*In mathematics and geometry**Intersection , the set of elements common to some collection of sets.**Line-line intersection**Line-plane intersection**Line–sphere intersection...
in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. Located at the junction of City Route 62
Winnipeg Route 62
Route 62 is a major north-south arterial route in Winnipeg, Manitoba that has eight different street names.The official route begins on Salter Street in the city's North End; its northernmost point is often given on maps as the intersection of Salter Street and Redwood Avenue...
and City Route 42
Winnipeg Route 42
Route 42 is a major arterial road located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It connects the suburbs of North Kildonan, East Kildonan, Fort Rouge, Fort Garry, and St. Norbert with the city's downtown core...
in the city's Fort Rouge neighbourhood, the intersection is a major traffic hub through which most traffic between downtown and the southwest quadrant of the city must pass, but is infamous for being complex and difficult for unfamiliar or distracted drivers to navigate correctly.
The intersection is defined by two one-way segments of Route 42, which has the street names Pembina Highway west of the intersection, and Donald Street and McMillan Avenue east of the intersection, intersecting Route 62 (Osborne Street) in a rhomboid
Rhomboid
Traditionally, in two-dimensional geometry, a rhomboid is a parallelogram in which adjacent sides are of unequal lengths and angles are oblique.A parallelogram with sides of equal length is a rhombus but not a rhomboid....
shape. City Route 95
Winnipeg Route 95
Route 95 is a city route located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It runs in the southwest part of the city from Route 105 east to Route 42. It is named Roblin Boulevard west of Assiniboine Park, where it then becomes Corydon Avenue for the remainder of its route...
(Corydon Avenue) does not directly enter the junction of the two routes, instead beginning at the southwestern corner of the rhomboid, although traffic to and from the terminus of Corydon Avenue does funnel through the junction.
Route 42
Southbound traffic on Route 42 enters the intersection along McMillan Avenue, a one-way westbound street which begins at the northeast corner of the rhomboid, taking southbound traffic from Donald Street. At the intersection with Route 62, the main traffic lanes lead onto Pembina Highway southbound; however, traffic in the rightmost lane can also switch onto a short cul-de-sacCul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
segment of McMillan Avenue.
Northbound traffic on Route 42 must filter into one of three lanes. The leftmost lane, which is separated from the other two by a median strip, instead merges with an eastbound lane coming from Corydon Avenue. Traffic in this lane may head straight through the intersection onto Donald or may turn north onto Osborne; traffic in the other two lanes may head straight through the intersection or turn south onto Osborne.
The triangle created by the separation of Pembina Highway's northbound and southbound lanes at Osborne is also bisected by a dedicated lane reserved for Winnipeg Transit
Winnipeg Transit
Winnipeg Transit is the public transit agency in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is a bus-only operator.The Winnipeg Street Railway operated a horse car operation from 1882 to 1894...
buses. The rightmost lane of Osborne along the side of the triangle is also reserved for buses; in 2007, the city of Winnipeg repaved the bus-only lanes in a different colour of pavement than the rest of the roadway.
Route 62
Southbound traffic on Osborne Street must use the McMillan/Pembina intersection to turn west onto Corydon Avenue or south onto Pembina Highway, and the Donald/Pembina intersection to turn east onto Donald Street.Northbound traffic on Osborne must turn right onto Donald to access any of the cross streets, and drivers seeking to head west on Corydon or south on Pembina must then loop back along McMillan. Northbound cars cannot turn directly onto Pembina at the McMillan/Pembina intersection. Drivers approaching the intersection from this direction see the intersection's most iconic traffic sign.
Route 95
Westbound traffic entering Corydon Avenue from any direction must use the McMillan/Pembina intersection, inclusive of the Donald/McMillan loop if necessary, and then turn onto Corydon. Eastbound traffic coming off Corydon may travel southbound onto Pembina, north onto Osborne or through the intersection. However, due to the median separating Pembina's northbound turning lane from its other lanes, this traffic cannot access the lanes which are permitted to turn southbound onto Osborne; a driver who wishes to make this turn must either take the Donald/McMillan loop or turn southbound onto Pembina and take a Michigan leftMichigan left
A Michigan left is an at-grade intersection design which replaces each left turn with a permutation of a U-turn and a right turn. The design was given the name due to its frequent use along Michigan roads and highways since the late 1960s. In other contexts, the intersection is called a median...
via Jessie Street to return to Pembina's other set of northbound lanes.
Neighbourhood
The name "Confusion Corner" may also be extended to refer to the larger neighbourhood surrounding the intersection. A restaurant located on Corydon Avenue, half a block west of the junction, is named Confusion Corner Bar & Grill.Popular culture
The intersection is referenced in The WeakerthansThe Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
' song "Civil Twilight", from their 2007 album Reunion Tour
Reunion Tour
Reunion Tour is the fourth studio album by The Weakerthans, released on September 25, 2007 in Canada and the U.S. The album was released on both compact disc and vinyl record....
. The song is written from the perspective of a Winnipeg Transit driver.
The television series Less Than Kind
Less Than Kind
Less Than Kind is a Canadian television comedy-drama series that stars Jesse Camacho as Sheldon Blecher, a teenager growing up in a loving but dysfunctional Jewish family in Winnipeg. The show's cast also includes Maury Chaykin and Wendel Meldrum as Sheldon's parents, Benjamin Arthur as his older...
, set in Winnipeg, based its title logo on the sign approaching the intersection northbound along Osborne Street.http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Osborne+%26+Corydon+Avenue,+Winnipeg,+Manitoba&aq=&sll=49.874794,-97.141407&sspn=0.006403,0.021136&g=Osborne,+Corydon+Avenue,+Winnipeg,+Manitoba&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Osborne+St+%26+Corydon+Ave,+Winnipeg,+Division+No.+11,+Manitoba&ll=49.871787,-97.139794&spn=0.003056,0.010568&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=49.871841,-97.139831&panoid=-SbjiCFUQRVIGEW-sE2FMA&cbp=12,341.08,,0,3.54Street View]
External links
- Confusion Corner at Google MapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...