Big changes are coming to the area around the Jacques Cartier Bridge.
On Sunday, Mayor Denis Coderre announced the approach to the bridge’s Montreal side would be reconfigured to add parks and bike paths. Work will be conducted between Papineau and Parthenais to the west and east and Ontario and Rene-Levesque to the north and south.
"This is a great moment for Montreal because we're talking about quality of life, we're talking about urban planning," said Coderre, who also praised the partnership with the Jacques Cartier Society. "Safety is our priority and we're making sure that at the same time, we'll have the fluidity of the people who will pass through there."
Coderre said among the project's goals is to expand the amount of green space in the area. To that effect, a park will be built underneath the bridge along de Lorimier Ave.
Eight small residential streets between De Lorimier and Dorion, which have been hit hard by traffic during recent construction on the bridge, will become more pedestrian-friendly with widened sidewalks, urban furniture and safer intersections, said Coderre.
"Urban planning means enhancing quality of life, it means creating districts where people can play, can work, can live," he said. "I think there was an issue here. The makeover was a necessity strictly based on safety on one level and truly needed a lot of love."
The De Maisonneuve bicycle path will be extended eastward to connect with paths that are east of the bridge. Paths on the bridge itself will be connected to those in the city.
The work will begin in 2019 and be completed by 2025. The whole project will cost $120 million with the Jacques Cartier Society paying for $10 million of that total and the municipal government covering the rest.
An open house where residents will be invited to share their ideas for the project will be held on April 20 from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Cabaret Lion d'Or, located at 1676 Ontario St. East.
