After 50 years, city taking first steps on connecting two halves of Cavendish Blvd.

Montrealers have been calling for an extension to Cavendish Blvd. for half a century. And finally, it sounds like they may get their wish.

The city announced Tuesday it's begun the process to build the extension, starting with requesting an environmental assessment.

The idea is to build a corridor that would connect the north and south sections of the boulevard, which are now separated by a rail yard.

Montrealers have been saying for a long, long time that the detour is an annoyance.

"I go that way to IKEA... and it’s a pain in the behind to go all the way around," one person told CTV -- in 1998.

The connected road would create a sort of direct portal between Cote-St-Luc and St-Laurent, rather than forcing drivers through highway traffic. However, that's also been one of the concerns that has held up the project all these years -- that it could turn Cavendish into a mini-highway.

Nonetheless, Sophie Mauzerolle, who heads up transport and mobility on the city's executive committee, said it's time to pay more attention to the two boroughs.

"We wanted to bring it to the 21st century," she said. "There’s a lot of potential in the neighbourhood for urban development."

The newly developed road could look different than people expect, with bike paths and other measures that could decrease its potential for highway-like activity.

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