Montreal expressway being reconfigured into greener boulevard

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Ontario Construction News staff writer

The Bonaventure Expressway in Montreal will be reconfigured into a boulevard starting in 2025, with traffic lanes of the new boulevard moved away from the shoreline to create a green corridor along the St. Lawrence River.

Construction will address changing uses particularly in terms of traffic flow, the transport of goods, and active mobility, in addition to significantly improve in the living environment for the community.

The budget of the Bonaventure project is $282 million. Construction will take place from 2025 to 2029.

Built in 1966, the non-elevated lanes of the federal section of the Bonaventure Expressway are at the end of their service life and must be rebuilt. The reconfiguration project will maintain three-lane capacity in both directions with a 2+1 configuration and dynamic management of the third lane.

“Investing in our infrastructure doesn’t mean pouring money into concrete, it means investing in the well-being of Canadians,” said Pablo Rodriguez, minister of transport. “Like Montrealers who, thanks to the reconfiguration of the Bonaventure Expressway, will have access to another green space where they can exercise, get together and admire the St Lawrence River.

“We continue to deliver for Quebecers through investments that will make a real difference to their day-to-day lives.”

Traffic lanes on the new boulevard will be moved away from the shoreline thus overlapping with Carrie-Derick Street which will be eliminated, thus reducing the road footprint and heat islands by 40 per cent.

Also, a space along the river will be freed up where a green corridor with two dedicated active mobility paths will be built. A nearly 2.5-km pedestrian promenade and a multipurpose path will connect with existing paths in the area.

“We are delighted with this announcement, which caps off many years of work,” said Sandra Martel, CEO, JCCBI. “The Bonaventure project is in line with our mission which focuses on user mobility, safety, and infrastructure longevity, based on a sustainable development approach.

“This includes adding active mobility paths as will be done on the new boulevard which will have the capacity to meet current peak needs and the flexibility to address future needs for the next decades.”

The area will also be greened by planting 650 trees, 18,000 shrubs, and 13,000 perennials and creating landscaping features that will protect biodiversity and reduce heat islands. The public will have closer access to the river, and the entire corridor between the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge and the Victoria Bridge will be beautified and greened.

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