New bridge for Nuns’ Island?
An idea that’s been percolating for ages is a new bridge to link Nuns’ Island to Verdun. Whether this would be a link for walking and cycling only, or allow motor vehicles, is yet to be decided.
As I recall, the denizens of the island traditionally resist this plan, although with Wellington Street’s trendiness in recent years the islanders’ attitudes may have relaxed a little.
Now that I look at the map, linking Verdun’s Galt Street to the island’s Marguerite‑Bourgeoys Boulevard would have a benefit not mentioned in the brief article: it would create a link between De l’Église metro and the island.
GC 14:24 on 2022-01-29 Permalink
I don’t live in Verdun, but it seems sensible to me to have one for emergency vehicles. And then, of course, let pedestrians and cyclists also use it.
MarcG 15:47 on 2022-01-30 Permalink
I have a friend who doesn’t drive who lives at the far end of Nun’s Island and he’s very isolated. There are a few grocery stores at the other end which he has little choice but to shop at and says that the prices are significantly marked up. One problem I see with this bridge is that it would ruin those sections of the waterfront walking/biking/skiing paths on both sides. The Verdun side in that section has already been kind of ruined by the beach, but I would be surprised if they plopped a regular traffic bridge down right next to it.
Kate 15:52 on 2022-01-30 Permalink
Wouldn’t your friend benefit from being able to cross the bridge to shop along Wellington?
I can’t imagine choosing to live in that area without driving. I’ve walked around in Nuns’ Island a little. It’s surprisingly big and not generally very welcoming to pedestrians.
MarcG 17:03 on 2022-01-30 Permalink
I’m sure he would really appreciate a pedestrian bridge. The reason he lives there is because the apartment buildings aren’t made of cardboard like they are in Verdun.
GC 19:14 on 2022-01-30 Permalink
Thanks for clarifying where it would likely land on the Nun’s Island side, MarcG, as I don’t know the geography that well. I’ve only visited a handful of times and it certainly did not appear very pedestrian-friendly, but that’s just a shallow observation as a visitor. 90% of my visits were to see a friend who is the sort that would drive five blocks to get somewhere because he loves his car that much.
Kate, do you know on what grounds the residents are generally against it? Is it a no-traffic thing? A no-motor vehicles thing? Protecting the waterfront, per Marc’s post? Just a strong desire to remain isolated?
Nicole 19:37 on 2022-01-30 Permalink
I’ve lived on Nuns’ Island for 11 years, and I am strongly in favor of another link to the mainland, which would provide easier access to shopping and restaurants on Wellington as well as an alternate way off the island when there’s construction around the highway exits, which there often is. The walking/biking trails won’t be ruined–there’s already a paved road that goes almost to the waterfront at that point. I think the island residents who are against it (who are probably still the majority) are mostly isolationist; for instance, my neighbor is afraid it that will attract a “bad element” (which seemed to mean people who aren’t white and wealthy) from mainland Verdun.
Kate 20:50 on 2022-01-30 Permalink
GC, I can’t cite you a reference, but there was, at least at one time, a feeling in Nuns’ Island that they didn’t want to be bracketed with Verdun, and there were some who wanted it to be declared a separate entity. This would’ve been before Wellington Street had any cachet. I don’t know whether this tendency was supported by developers on the island, or by residents who resented having their taxes possibly used for things on the Verdun side. It’s not a notion I’ve heard much about lately, but see what Nicole has to say – the river keeps the canaille out.
walkerp 22:10 on 2022-01-30 Permalink
If you’ve seen Cronenberg’s classic Shivers, you’ll know that we want fewer not more ways to get off of Nuns Island.
GC 22:57 on 2022-01-30 Permalink
walkerp, I was also thinking of https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4546694, which involved a fictional island that felt like an even wealthier version of Nuns’ Island.
walkerp 23:13 on 2022-01-30 Permalink
Nice! I’d forgotten about that. I’ll add that to my watch list. I hope they have it in the original french because the dubbing sounded quite bad.