Montreal is asking Quebec City to find a way to reduce the number of homes slated for demolition as part of the massive overhaul of the Turcot interchange.
Mayor Gerald Tremblay and other municipal politicians weighed in with their requests during a public consultation in St. Henri.
They had a number of comments about the environmental, operational and financial implications of the $1 billion project.
Mayor Tremblay said Turcot overhaul should be entirely financed by the government and should include reserved lanes for buses, taxis and carpools.
"We want a green city," he said.
"This is an opportunity to discuss it with the Quebec government."
The Turcot interchange, the largest in Quebec, will be demolished beginning this year.
It will be rebuilt at ground level on embankments over the next seven years.
Some 160 homes will be bulldozed to make way for the new ground-level expressway, a plan that has raised the ire of people living in the area.
Harel's view
Vision Montreal Leader Louise Harel, who also attended the hearings, said it's important for Montreal to be a key player in the massive construction project.
She also says the Ville-Marie tunnel should be extended westward all the way up to the newly-refurbished interchange, as a way of insulating neighbourhoods from noise and pollution.
