Montreal reveals transformative project for St. Catherine Street (PHOTOS)

The City of Montreal has just unveiled new plans for the transformation and renovation of Montreal’s downtown core.

Mayor Valerie Plante presented her vision which revolves around making some upgrades and major changes to Saint Catherine Street West, as well as creating innovative mobility solutions and a large public square on McGill College street.

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City of Montreal

Plante shares that she and her team have “opted for a more coherent, more contemporary project from the heart of Montreal,” hoping to create a more “friendly, inviting, and festive” downtown.

From a financial perspective, Plante explains that “downtown is experiencing a real renaissance and is attracting major investments” that the city has “not seen in a very long time.” Thus, she wishes to take advantage of the opportunity to “accelerate its development and make it a destination.”

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Phase 1 of the redevelopment already began in January of 2018 and included the rehabilitation of a major sewer line and infrastructure of the Montreal Electric Services Commission.

Specific attention is given to the stretch of Saint Catherine street between Bleury and Mansfield. There, a sidewalk will be widened and traffic will be cut down to a single lane. Delivery to businesses will operate through a docking area and the widened walkway will include additional greenery, street furniture, new LED lighting, and free WiFi.

Work for the first phase of this project is to be completed by December of 2021.

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New aspirations for the downtown core have also been announced.

In order to transform Saint Catherine Street and McGill College into “a city centre” and “a unique tourist experience,” green public spaces and unique mobility solutions will be implemented, including dynamic staking and a mobile application to facilitate off-street parking.

Projet Montreal/Twitter

City of Montreal

The city has also revealed in a statement that they wish to redevelop Phillips Square, Brother Andre Square, Saint-James, Dorchester Square, and McGill Place, with the intention of making them major public spaces for all of Montreal’s inhabitants.

A consultation regarding the development of McGill Place will take place next Winter.

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