Changes are coming to a popular downtown Winnipeg destination as The Forks Renewal Corporation announced they will be cutting the amount of lanes on Israel Asper Way in half.

The street heading into and out of The Forks currently has four lanes.

In conjunction with this decision, The Forks will be putting out a call for designs in the near future, asking people to give them their best ideas on how they can transform the two west lanes into a green space walkway for pedestrians.

"Having four lanes is very car-centric and it causes a lot of car traffic," said Larissa Peck, Coordinator, Marketing and Communications for The Forks. "While we'll always have accommodations for cars, we do want to also show we're accommodating pedestrians and cyclists."

It's part of The Forks' long-term Rail Side Lands and Parcel 4 Planning Initiative.

"This isn't something that's going to happen overnight," said Peck. "But we're always going to accommodate how people pick and choose to come to The Forks."

Peck says the main goal is creating more green space while slowing down traffic.

"There's no need to have a four-lane highway coming into and out of a small space and I think having the two lanes will be completely sufficient," said Peck. "Green space is something that has always been part of The Forks' mandate, giving people spaces to hang out and enjoy the outdoors."

The call for submissions will be displayed prominently on theforks.com at the end of June, according to Peck.

She says the submissions will be assessed, adjudicated and then will go to The Forks' design advisory board for approval.

"One that is a really good fit for The Forks will be chosen and we're hoping for that to be implemented by as early as next year," said Peck.

Israel Asper Way will only become two lanes south of York Ave, so access to Provencher Blvd should not be affected.