Press releases published by Projet Montréal

"Less concrete, more life"

- Partial covering of Décarie expressway to make room for gardens , markets and playgrounds
- Transforming Notre-Dame Street into an urban boulevard, not a replica of Décarie expressway

Montreal, October 26, 2009 - Richard Bergeron and Projet Montréal's candidates met at CDN-NDG's city hall
facing Décarie expressway to state publicly that Projet Montréal's administration will demand that Décarie expressway be partially covered as soon as possible and that Notre-Dame Street be transformed according to Montrealers' needs and desire.

"It is essential that Quebec Ministry of Transportation (QMT) repair the prejudice brought upon Montrealers in the late sixties when the district was cut in two in order to dig Décarie expressway without even erecting the nuisance attenuation measures initially conceived" said Projet Montréal's Leader and candidate for Montreal Mayor.

Décarie : Covering of four segments between Sherbrooke and Jean-Talon

Projet Montréal advocates gradually covering four sections of Décarie expressway between Sherbrooke and Jean-Talon. The first segment should be around 300 meters long and would cover around 150 meters on both sides of Queen-Mary Avenue. This technique was used to create the famous Millenium Park on top of railways in Chicago, the solution is a beam-park. This type of cover is engineered to support, for example, gardens, public markets and playgrounds.

In the document handed out to journalists, we can see, among other things, a "junior" soccer field enclosed within fences, a public garden, basketball hoops and tennis courts. "The layout concept will be implemented in concert with local residents" said Carole Dupuis, candidate for Projet Montréal in CDN-NDG. "The pictures we're showing illustrates how such project could totally change the district. We could even see again the famous Montreal melon grow on top of Décarie expressway. Farmers were proud to grow it around this area" said Carole Dupuis.

"Instead of an urban scar that defaces the district and is a constant source of noise, we'll have a green oasis that will greatly improve the residents' quality of life" said Magda Papeanu, Projet Montréal's candidate for Côte-des-Neiges. "It's easy to imagine life coming back in when people will come regularly to buy fruits and vegetables as they come out of Snowdon metro station or to take a walk in the evening, for example" said Magda Papeanu.

"With time, other segments of Décarie will also be covered" said Peter McQeen and Daniel Grenon Projet Montréal's candidates for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Snowdon. "For example, we could cover segments of Décarie on both sides of NDG Avenue and the Namur metro station area near the future hippodrome" they said.

Urban boulevard and tram-train on Notre-Dame Street

Raising his voice to be heard through the deafening noise coming from Décarie expressway, Mr Bergeron said that " if Québec Ministry of Transportation's actual plan is implemented, it would mean that we forever turn our back on the St-Lawrence River. In fact, the Décarie-type expressway in a trench would be built through the heart of the Quartier des Berges".

The Quartier des Berges is a residential and recreational area that projet Montréal promises to build to replace the rusted silos and abandoned buildings that presently stretch along the St-Lawrence, which is part of its project to improve and enhance Montreal's maritime Entrance. " and I don't even mention pollution that would inevitably come with increased traffic" said Projet Montréal's Leader.

Projet Montréal's candidates for Sainte-Marie, Hochelaga and Maisonneuve-Longue-Pointe Mercier districts, Mr Pierre Mainville, Eric Allan Caldwell and Carl Bégin insisted that the Notre-Dame project include a tram-train linking downtown to Pointe-aux-Trembles. "Residents are exasperated, they demand a solution that will still be beneficial when the construction is completed in 4 or 5 years" protested Eric Allan Caldwell. Carl Bégin thinks the same ; "Since we're going to spend one billion dollars, let's make sure we invest in a clean means of transportation using electricity... a solution that we'll still be able to use in ten or twenty years down the road".

The main difference between the project of Québec Ministry of Transportation and the one of Projet Montréal is the scale of the proposed infrastructures. Where Quebec Ministry of Transportation doesn't hesitate to dig huge trenches and pour thousands of tons of concrete, Projet Montréal's solution emphasizes instead the lay out of a boulevard built on the surface, lined with sidewalks, parks and new buildings. The increase in transportation capability comes from the creation of a modern electric tramway line built in the center of the road, making possible 100 000 transfers everyday.

"The only reason to accept the Quebec plan would be to support the development of Laval and Mascouche whose residents could enter and exit Montréal more rapidly at rush hour. On top of being unfair to Montrealers, it would also increase urban sprawling which is detrimental not only to Montreal but also to the whole metropolitan area.

Millenium Park, Chicago. This famous park was created using the same technique as that suggested by Projet Montréal for covering Décarie. Photo (for free use): Étienne Coutu