St-Jacques St. on-ramp is in the plans: Transport
Ramp expected to ease traffic issues affecting eastern Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is getting all-new access to the Décarie Expressway.
Transport Quebec has confirmed plans to construct an onramp just west of Prud’homme Ave., connecting St-Jacques St. to Highway 15 northbound. Officials say this plan will be realized by the time the Turcot Interchange reconstruction project is completed on deadline in 2020.
This on-ramp, proponents say, will help mitigate traffic issues that have affected eastern N.D.G. since the super hospital opened on the Glen site, just south of the Vendôme métro station. Vehicles leaving the hospital will have more direct access to Highway 15 northbound.
Speaking during the Turcot N.D.G.-Westmount Neighbourhood Committee meeting on Monday, assistant director Sandra Sultana said the completion date for the bridge spanning Décarie has been pushed back to the fall of 2018.
However, plans include the onramp, she said. Residents also have been asking for an exit to StJacques from Décarie southbound, but Sultana indicated that is unlikely as it would be too close to the Girouard Ave. on-ramp.
As it stands, the St-Jacques St. on-ramp will merge with the under-construction Route 136 and Highway 15.
Since February, Coun. Peter McQueen, who represents the district and lives near the StRaymond Community Centre where the meeting was held, has collected more than 300 petition signatures calling on Transport Quebec to build the St-Jacques on-ramp.
The petition also demands improved pedestrian safety on Sherbrooke St. W. between Décarie Blvd. and Girouard Ave.
Despite the announcement, McQueen said he will continue collecting signatures to “keep the pressure on them.” It is also important, he added, to continue calling for improved pedestrian and cyclist safety as construction continues, affecting all of eastern N.D.G.
The petition demands that Transport and the city of Montreal honour the 2007 McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) traffic plan by building a Highway 15 entrance on the eastern side of the under-construction St. Jacques St. bridge. When he launched the petition, McQueen said those original plans had fallen off the radar and questions about its status were left unanswered as 2016 drew to a close.
Worried the on-ramp had been put aside, McQueen promoted the petition, hosted by Projet Montréal’s website, on social media and during public meetings.
McQueen has demanded that Transport present detailed engineering plans as soon as possible because the new on-ramp, he says, would reduce volumes of traffic accessing the Décarie Expressway from Sherbrooke St. W.
“It’s still not a full engineering drawing, but it looks more serious,” he said of the images presented, noting he is concerned about how the on-ramp will merge into the lanes below. “That’s going to be badly backed up, so I’m not happy about that. Maybe that can still be negotiated.”
As it is, traffic is often at a standstill on Décarie south of Sherbrooke St. W. Traffic has also been bad around the intersection of Girouard and Sherbrooke as motorists fight to access Highway 15 southbound from Girouard.
“It’s not just weekdays or rush hour,” said McQueen of the traffic in eastern N.D.G.
“It’s terrible. Every Saturday or Sunday, when I’m trying to go somewhere with my kids, I’m stuck in that traffic. … It’s the worst traffic jam in N.D.G.”