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Reducing truck traffic and greening the area are among the motivations for a project to widen Assomption Blvd. toward Notre-Dame St. E. in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood.
On Tuesday night, the municipality kicked off the first of numerous information sessions it plans to hold in the coming months to ask residents about its plans for the area around Boisé Steinberg and Boisé Vimont.
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The plan, which has been in the works since 2013, is to close Dickson St., but to make it easier for Port of Montreal trucks to access Highway 25 via Souligny Avenue. Truck traffic is currently problematic as trucks try to avoid traffic on Notre-Dame to reach the motorway, so the project is expected to keep trucks on the main arterial network and off local streets.
Currently, trucks can leave the Port of Montreal in five ways. The city wants to create a single exit point from the port area and prevent trucks from reaching Notre-Dame St. E and causing major traffic jams. The plan is to build more direct access to Souligny Avenue through a new street, which would be built in the area marked off for an extension of Assomption Boulevard, which currently ends at Hochelaga Street.
Widening Assomption Blvd. would also allow the city to close Dickson St. and ease traffic for local residents. The project also foresees the expansion of cycle paths in Notre-Dame, Hochelaga, and the extension of the Réseau express vélo (REV) from Souligny Ave. to the west. A bike lane would also be built on Dickson St.
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Residents will be asked if Assomption Blvd. should link directly from Hochelaga to Notre Dame, because this would require building a road through Boisé Steinberg.
The city recently purchased a portion of the Boisé Steinberg from Hydro-Québec with the goal of preserving it as a green space. It is also negotiating with CN the purchase and conservation of at least part of the Vimont forest.
Speaking to reporters, Sophie Mauzerolle, head of mobility for the Plante administration, explained that, if built, the part of Assomption that runs through the wooded area would be reserved for local residents to access their neighborhood, and trucks would be prohibited. .
“We want to be able to preserve as much green space as possible,” Mauzerolle said. “But if residents tell us they want a local street, we will make sure it affects the wooded area as little as possible.”
Building a road would require 50 trees to be relocated, while if the forested area is preserved without adding a road, the city will plant more trees in the area.
“If we don’t do that local road, there is a risk of impact on the neighborhood and it will make it more difficult for people to navigate the neighborhood,” Mauzerolle said.
The project has been the subject of environmental hearings in the province Office of public hearings on the environment. a report was also prepared by the Montreal Public Consultation Office.
He said the city has postponed consulting residents because there was a lawsuit with Ray-Mont logistics and there was a confidentiality agreement with CDPQ Infra while it studied a possible REM de l’Est transit project.
There is no timeline for the project yet and a price cannot be determined before the city determines whether a highway is needed in the area.
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