Royalmount work would worsen commute, city document shows

The new development soon to begin construction on Royalmount Ave. will have a major impact on the commute home for hundreds of thousands of Montrealers, a new city document reveals. Though the development in question would be situated in Town of Mount Royal, its central location — close to the intersections of Highway 40, the Décarie Expressway and the Côte-deLiesse Expressway — would add significant time to the commute home for anyone driving through the area. According to a traffic study made public by the city Tuesday, the Royalmount project, which includes stores, housing and hotels, would add 140,000 new trips to the area through all modes of transportation including public transit. The project would have a direct impact on the 360,000 cars that currently use the road network in the area. Despite measures being proposed to accommodate the expected rise in traffic, it would add between 20 and 30 minutes of travel time for cars navigating through Highway 40 East, between Cavendish Blvd. and the exit for the Laurentian Autoroute. It would also add 10 to 15 minutes to the Côte-de-Liesse Expressway and Highway 40 between Cavendish and the exit for the Laurentian Autoroute. Those taking Décarie from Côte-deLiesse would see their travel time increase by 15 to 25 minutes, the document stated. The development’s impact would be felt most from 5 to 7 p.m. The impact study did not take into account the long-delayed extension of Cavendish Blvd., which has been touted as a way to reduce traffic on the Décarie, nor has it taken into account a proposed development slated for 43.5 hectares of the old Blue Bonnets site. Reacting to the report, Carbonleo said in a statement that the city’s traffic report misinterpreted the impact study, and the project’s overall impact will add less than two minutes to the commute. Claude Marcotte, Carbonleo’s executive vice-president, said the firm has worked with the city since 2015 to ensure that the project does not have a negative impact on area traffic. Public consultations on the Royalmount project will be held Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. at Montreal city hall.