Bonaventure Expressway to get $282M revamp into urban boulevard
Ottawa announced a new project to reconfigure the Bonaventure expressway, which was first built in 1966 and is nearing the end of its lifespan.
As a gateway to the City of Montreal, the highway is well-used and, in the words of federal transport minister Pablo Rodriguez, "it's ugly....it's from another era."
The piece of roadway is about to get a $282-million facelift.
The federal project will reconfigure the expressway into an urban boulevard that will change its appearance and purpose.
"It's not a highway anymore; it's a boulevard, so it's an urban configuration where pedestrians can cross the boulevard at some spaces," said Sandra Martel, the CEO of the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc.
Speed limits will drop from 70 to 50 km/h, and traffic lights will be added to connect people to a new green corridor and a 2.5-kilometre-long multipurpose pathway.
Traffic lanes will be moved away from the shoreline, eliminating Carrie Derick Street. Construction is expected to start in 2025 and will only affect the non-elevated portion of the Bonaventure.
With 20 million vehicles using the existing autoroute each year, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says the city is already considering ways to manage congestion.
"In this case, having the REM is a big; it's already there. For sure, we will look at what needs to be put in place during the work, so there's still options," she said.
Traffic specialist Rick Leckner says the traffic pain will be worth it in the long run.
"There's a lot of benefits to this, not least of which environmental, because that roadway was so close to the St. Lawrence River, creating quite a bit of pollution," Leckner said. "From what I see in the designs, it's quite attractive and it will allow for pedestrians, it will allow mobility through the area."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he does not regret calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko,' and now his MPs are renewing calls for the House of Commons Speaker to resign, this time over ordering the Official Opposition leader to leave the chamber.
Is it cold, flu or norovirus? Symptoms explained
The highly contagious norovirus is spreading across Canada, with some symptoms overlapping with other viruses. CTVNews.ca spoke with a health expert to find out how you can tell you have norovirus, the most common form of stomach flu, and what to do if you have it.
Ontario's police watchdog continues probe of high-speed pursuit involving fatal crash
The investigation continues into a collision that killed two grandparents and their infant grandchild during a high-speed police chase on the wrong way of Highway 401 east of Toronto.
Stranded cruise passengers in Spain race to catch up with their ship
A month after eight Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded in Africa when their ship left without them because they were late getting back, a U.S. couple – ages 84 and 81 – were also left behind by the cruise line in Spain.
London Drugs expected to give update on store status following 'cybersecurity incident'
Days after dozens of London Drugs locations closed due to a 'cybersecurity incident,' a spokesperson for the company says an update on the stores' status is expected Wednesday morning.
No criminal charges after 4 newborn bodies found in Boston freezer
A prosecutor in Massachusetts won't seek criminal charges against anyone, two years after four newborns were found in a freezer in a South Boston apartment.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.