Montreal unveils plan to improve livability of St. Henri, Ville Emard

CTV Montreal: Life after Turcot work The City of Montreal outlined a plan to give a boost to neighbourhoods affected by years of work on the Turcot.

The City of Montreal has an $80 million plan to revitalize St. Henri, Ville Emard, and Cote St. Paul once construction is complete on the Turcot Interchange.

The goal of the urban development plan, which the city has branded PDUES-Turcot, is to make the region livable on a human scale.

Southwest Borough Mayor Benoit Dorais said that by 2025 the city plans to build at least 100 new homes that are affordable for those with a low income, and the city will also create space for shared urban gardens and plant 500 trees in the area.

Four municipal buildings are going to be altered, and the city will create nine new greenspaces, and revamp five existing parks.

"People will see more greening quickly. They will also see work for the intersections," said Dorais.

"It's important for us that that plan could be integrated in our investment plan, the PTE, our plan for investments. So people will see action in short, medium, and long term."

Nine intersections, including De La Verendrye Blvd. and De L'Eglise Ave., will also be altered so that commuting will be easier for those on foot or on bicycle, in addition to 3 km of new cycle paths in the area.

Not in the plan, however, are ways to address issues such as dust and noise from the Turcot work.

"Dust and noise are an issue in the Southwest, especially in St-Henri and of course in Cote-St-Paul and Ville Emard," said Dorais. "This plan is not to address those issues. The plan today is for after the construction of Turcot but right now we are in contact with the Transport Ministry and our team at the City of Montreal to address those issues. The situation is not acceptable."

The Ministry of Transportation is contributing $45 million toward the project.