Hope for construction-hit areas
Plan aims to improve quality of life in neighbourhoods affected by Turcot work
Of the many neighbourhoods adversely affected by the rebuilding of the Turcot, the largest roadwork project in Quebec’s history, it is probably western St-Henri, VilleÉmard and Côte- St-Paul that have suffered the most.
Located just south of the area where Highways 20, 15 and 720 intersect, the almost 30,000 citizens there who live in close-set duplexes and triplexes have long been marginalized by the fact their communities are cut off by highways, off-ramps, overpasses and train tracks.
The deconstruction and reconstruction of the Turcot, lasting more than seven years, exacerbated the pain.
“In terms of constant traffic delays, dust, the noise, the inconveniences have been there for a long time,” Sud- Ouest Borough Mayor Benoit Dorais said Monday.
In an attempt to improve quality of life in the shadow of the reconstructed interchange, the borough and city of Montreal presented a development plan Monday outlining measures for the region of just over two square kilometres. In total, $80 million will be spent, with half that amount going to the rebuilding of the area around the Gadbois recreation centre. Another $12 million will go to rebuilding de l’Église Ave.
The recommendations come after two years of meetings organized by Montreal’s public consultation bureau, and included the input of 2,200 citizens and local community organizations. Among the main changes:
■ The addition of 100 affordable social housing units in six buildings owned by the city. ■ The planting of 500 trees.
■ The creation of a three-kilometre bike path connecting St-Henri to Côte- St-Paul and Ville-Émard, and adjoining Verdun and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. The path will link the St-Henri métro station to de l’Église Ave., crossing over the Lachine Canal. Nine traffic intersections along the route will be made safer by enlarging sidewalks and improving traffic lights and signage.
■ The rejuvenation of de l’Église Ave.
■ The creation of nine new green spaces and upgrading of five existing parks.
■ Eventual zoning changes to protect commercial and industrial buildings, mainly situated on the canal, from real-estate developers keen to build high-priced condominiums.
■ Reappropriation of four municipal buildings with heritage value to be used for community purposes.
All the alterations are scheduled to be completed by 2025, with some coming as soon as next year.
Not included in this plan is the Dalle-Parc project, a bicycle and pedestrian overpass that would span Highway 20 and link Notre-Dame-de-Grâce to the Lachine Canal and LaSalle. That project is outside of the purview of the SudOuest plan, Dorais said. But he noted the city and Quebec Transport Minister André Fortin both support the Dalle-Parc project and are trying to make it work.
On the issue of repeated complaints about the level of dust and small particles that regularly surpass environmental norms in neighbourhoods south of the construction zone, Dorais said as an asthmatic and a resident of the area he is well-attuned to the problem. The consortium building the interchange and the transport department “could be doing a better job,” he said, and the borough is scheduled to speak with both parties about finding ways to do so.