Plateau roadworks: complain, complain
CTV gives lavish permission to complain, complain, complain about roadwork in the Plateau with a cranky piece about the changes planned for Pine Avenue, with cites from people in the area already gearing up for a major kvetch-fest. Here’s the city’s page about its plans, and a La Presse piece from April.
DeWolf 09:39 on 2021-08-06 Permalink
I really don’t understand the CTV piece. Two random people moaning about an essential construction project that is replacing a century-old water main – is that really worth an article? Especially since it doesn’t shine any light on the project except for a throwaway comment about “needing to fix the pipes.”
Matt G 10:43 on 2021-08-06 Permalink
I mean, we can easily contact the “Journalists” and call them out on it. Or report the whole thing as a “factual error”. Maybe they’ll get the message that articles like this do nothing to advance any sort of conversation other than complaining.
thomas 10:49 on 2021-08-06 Permalink
The business owner is hardly random. A business at the corner of St. Laurent and Ave. du Parc will be maximally impacted by construction projected to last until 2023. The is an argument to be made that Montreal is not efficient in the timely planning and execution of such projects. Perhaps pressure to complete this project more rapidly is a good thing.
Kate 12:40 on 2021-08-06 Permalink
There is never a good time to dig up an entire street to replace hundred-year-old water mains and sewers, but at some point the bullet has to be bit and the work has to be done. And the city’s quite right in judging that Pine from St-Denis to Park is a pretty bleak stretch of road that can usefully be upgraded aesthetically at the same time.
DeWolf 13:46 on 2021-08-06 Permalink
Sure, thomas, but that’s why the project is split into two phases. Harry Toulch is still accessible from St-Laurent and Pine West, and when the work is completed on Pine East, that stretch will once again be open as construction begins on the western component. I’m not sure how it could be done any better. It’s a bit rich to be complaining about a construction project that literally just began this week.
The city has also been getting better at managing these sorts of projects. We’re a long way from the disastrous, interminable digs on St-Laurent and St-Denis. In the past few years, the St-Hubert reconstruction was completed on time, and the Ste-Catherine rebuilt is on schedule as well.
thomas 13:56 on 2021-08-06 Permalink
I agree with what you say. But, 2 years to complete 600m of street work, assuming everything goes to according to plan, doesn’t that seem long? For comparison, a similar project in Toronto on 700m of road started in February and ended September of the same year.
DeWolf 11:12 on 2021-08-08 Permalink
It’s 1km of work in two phases, which is why it’s taking two years. Half will be done over the next year, half will be done the year after that. If you shut down the entire stretch of Pine from Park to St-Denis and did everything in one go, it would take less time, but cause much more disruption.
If you’re referring to the Ossington rebuild in Toronto, it has been pretty heavily criticized for leaving the street in exactly the same horrible condition as it was before – narrow sidewalks, hydro poles, high-speed traffic, no trees. I’d rather have a project that runs a few months longer but results in a better urban environment.
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/07/17/ossington-is-everything-thats-ugly-about-torontos-streets-its-recent-rebuild-is-another-missed-opportunity-for-the-city-to-make-something-better.html