Montreal roadwork to be more transparent, mayor says
City will update website with information concerning work sites to help ease frustrations
Mayor Denis Coderre says the city will provide more information concerning major roadwork sites that shut down city streets.
Alongside Lionel Perez, the executive committee member responsible for transportation, Coderre said that in 2015, there will be more than 400 work sites throughout the city.
"That number really illustrates how much catching up Montreal has to do in order to repair its water and road infrastructure, which have for too long been neglected. There's a lot of work to do, and we are doing it," Coderre said.
Starting on Monday, Coderre said citizens will be able to find out the start and end dates of construction on work sites, as well as the cost of the contract and the entrepreneur in charge of each project.
The information will be published and updated on the city's website every week.
Sylvain Ouellet, a councillor for the opposition Projet Montreal, said the city isn't going far enough.
He said sometimes when there are delays on work sites it's implied that it's the fault of the entrepreneur, when in fact, he said that's not always the case.
Ouellet is also worried that the online interactive map highlighting the information is not user-friendly.
Guy Street between Sherbrooke West and Ste-Catherine streets
Start date: Mid-June 2015
End date: Summer 2016
Type of work: Reconstruction of the sewer and water supply system, the road pavement, sidewalks and updating of underground electrical wiring.
Length of entire work: Work began in mid-June 2015 and will continue until the end of autumn. There will be a winter break from December 2015 to spring 2016, and then work will start again.
Work period for week of Aug. 13 - 23: Construction work will continue 24 hours a day, if weather allows.
Traffic: Guy Avenue will be closed in both directions between Sherbrooke West and Ste-Catherine streets.
De Maisonneuve Boulevard will be closed to traffic west of Guy Avenue.