Osborne Junction, more commonly known as Confusion Corner, is a street
intersection
In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, thei ...
in
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...
,
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
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, capital = Win ...
. 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
Traditionally, in two-dimensional geometry, a rhomboid is a parallelogram in which adjacent sides are of unequal lengths and angles are non-right angled.
A parallelogram with sides of equal length ( equilateral) is a rhombus but not 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 also funnels through the junction.
An interchange for the Osborne-Pembina-Corydon intersection was proposed by the
Metro Winnipeg council during the 1960s, however this was abandoned due to the high cost.
Traffic flow
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-sac
A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet.
The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...
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.
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 left
A Michigan left or P-turn is an at-grade intersection design that replaces each left (farside) turn at an intersection between a (major) divided roadway and a secondary (minor) roadway with the combination of a right (nearside) turn followed ...
via Jessie Street to return to Pembina's other set of northbound lanes.
Neighbourhood
The larger neighbourhood surrounding the intersection to the west is officially called Little Italy, although the Confusion Corner nickname may also be extended to it. The area north of the intersection is called Osborne Village, the highest-density neighbourhood in Winnipeg. South of the intersection is the South Osborne-Riverview neighbourhood. Heading east from the intersection takes you to Downtown Winnipeg.
A restaurant located on Corydon Avenue, on the southwest corner of the junction, is named the Confusion Corner Bar & Grill.
Popular culture
The intersection is referenced in
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are an award-winning and Juno-nominated Canadian indie rock band from Winnipeg. The band, led by John K. Samson, has released four studio albums and is currently inactive.
History
The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manito ...
' song "Civil Twilight", from their 2007 album ''
Reunion Tour
A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...
''. The song is written from the perspective of a
Winnipeg Transit driver.
The television series ''
Less Than Kind
''Less Than Kind'' is a 2008–2013 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 ...
'', set in Winnipeg, based its title logo on the sign approaching the intersection northbound along Osborne Street.
References
External links
Confusion Cornerat
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...
{{Roads in Winnipeg
Streets and squares in Winnipeg
Road junctions in Canada