Dozens of frustrated NDG residents heard first-hand how Transport Quebec is going to play havoc with their neighbourhood for the years to come.
They attended an information meeting Tuesday night organized by the provincial ministry to discuss the closing of St. Jacques St. in advance of and while the Turcot Interchange is rebuilt.
Anastasia Rebelos, who lives on Addington St. between Sherbrooke St. and De Maisonneuve Blvd. is concerned about the changes in her neighbourhood.
"You can grin and bear it for a little bit, it's not the end of the world. However when they close all the streets, when they close the St. Jacques overpass, when you have all the extra influx of traffic plus the influx of traffic because of the MUHC hospital opening, that is going to become a nightmare," said Rebelos.
St. Jacques St. between Girouard Ave. and Decarie Blvd. will close to drivers and cyclists on Saturday March 21, with most drivers forced to detour via Decarie Blvd. and Upper Lachine Rd., while De Maisonneuve Blvd. will become a two-way street at the end of April.
The St. Jacques St. bridge is closing in part because of work that needs to be done on the St. Pierre collector sewer, built in 1930 and running underneath St. Jacques St.
"We will be diverting it over 850 metres and once that is completed, which should be done by the end of 2015, we will be closing St. Jacques completely and then start the demolishing and the rebuilding of the bridge," said Sarah Bensadoun, spokesperson for Transport Quebec.
The agency now predicts it will be two and a half years before the bridge is rebuilt..
Resident Vanessa Vescio said the existing construction over the past few years has been difficult to deal with.
"It's already extremely busy now without the superhospital there, so I'm really concerned about when people are actually going to be working there, and when patients have to go there. For my parking as well, we have a driveway, people park right in front of my driveway and even in my driveway. It's really odd," said Vescio.
