$50-million, 27-kilometre green corridor to stretch from Cartierville to Lachine

Montreal planning a green corridor From Cartierville to Lachine, Montreal is planning a 'green corridor' or bike paths, walking trails and wild meadows.

MONTREAL — The City of Montreal is planning to give people heading between Cartierville and Lachine a greener path.

The corridor will stretch for 27 kilometres, from Parc Bois de Saraguay to Parc Angrignon and will consist of bike paths, walking trails and wild meadows, though 18 kilometres of it will lay underneath high-voltage power lines.

“How can we give more to Montrealers for their quality of life, enjoying more of the green spaces?” said Mayor Valerie Plante. “We know that under the Hydro Quebec infrastructure, there is a lot of space.”

Parts of the corridor will also stretch across streets, highways, train tracks and through residential areas.

“In some places we might think about doing a little bridge or a little detour,” said Plante. “But always it has to be a continuous park.”

The green space is also meant to encourage biodiversity and will be landscaped with local flora that designers hope will attract birds, insects and small animal ecosystems.

St-Laurent Mayor Alan Desousa praised the team behind the design, who won a national urban design award for sustainable development.

“We were recognized world wide for creating an urban biodiversity corridor in the lanes of Hydro parks,” he said. “The administration has taken a good idea that we've had and taken it all the way.”

Consultations with the boroughs that will border the park are underway. The cost of the project is estimated at $50 million, with $10 million of that coming from Hydro Quebec.

Landscaping will begin in 2023.