Everything you need to know about the St. Catherine Street renovations

The City of Montreal recently released their plans and images for a major renovation coming to Ste. Catherine Street West.

The announcement included a handful of additions to the downtown core, as well as a construction in the area for the next three years.

What you need to know

The transformation of Ste. Catherine Street West is set to create “a destination and experience that goes beyond a commercial street.”

Reconstruction of the infrastructure is already underway between Mansfield and De Bleury. Work began in January of 2018 and a rehabilitation of a major sewer line is currently being performed.

Priority in design is being given to pedestrians, which according to the City of Montreal, make up 70% of the current traffic on St. Catherine street.

The work on the affected area is set to carry out until June of 2018, Monday to Friday from 7 am to 7 pm. Some operations will take place in evenings, nights, and Saturdays, however.

The biggest change coming to the downtown core is the addition of widened sidewalks (which will be widened to 6.5 metres), combined with a reduction to single-lane traffic and eliminating on-street parking from Mansfield to De Bleury.

Another change includes McGill Place, a brand new, pedestrian-only public square. The square will be set up between the McGill University Arts Building and the Place Vill-Marie esplanade.

The new McGill Place claims to be “the central point of Montreal’s commercial and tourist experience,” according to the city.

St. Catherine Street West will be modernized in the following ways:

• Widened sidewalks for greater user-friendliness
• Lined with street furniture designed specifically for St. Catherine
• A row of trees planted every nine meters for added greenery
• Free WiFi
• New LED lighting

The overall work to be done on the street includes:

• Replacing and rehabilitating underground infrastructure (sewers, aqueducts, utilities)
• Widening sidewalks, planting trees, new installations

The work is being divided into three phases:

• The first phase, which began in 2018, includes infrastructure rehabilitation for Bleury to Mansfield
• It will also cover Phillips Square, Place du Frere-Andre, and their adjacent streets
• Phase one will run from 2018 to 2021
• Phase two includes work between Mansfield Street and Atwater Avenue, set to begin in 2021, no timeline has been announced
• Phase three will develop McGill College Avenue between Cathcart and Sherbrooke, with no timeline announced either

Other additions to the project include:

• An information kiosk in Phillips Square
• A permanent photo exhibit on the history of St. Catherine Street West in Phillips Square

The city has also shared that they intend to redevelop Phillips Square, Brothers Andre Square, Saint-James, and Dorchester Square.

Consultation for the following spaces will take place next winter.

See also

• Montreal reveals transformative project for St. Catherine Street (PHOTOS)
• A new green 'mini-city' is coming to Montreal (PHOTOS)
• Montreal's $6.3B light-rail system will begin construction in April 2018 (PHOTOS)