A couple of fresh faces now holding important jobs could be bringing a part of the Turcot Interchange rebuild back from the dead.
Before Montreal mayor Valerie Plante and Transport Minister André Fortin took a tour of the progress that's been made on the Interchange, the pair sat down and discussed the Dalle Parc.
The overpass was an urban walkway, park and bicycle path that would have connected the North and South sides of Highway 20 at Cavendish Blvd. to Irwin St. It was in the original plans for the $3.8 billion rebuild, but mysteriously disappeared; with officials later saying it would have cost too much money.
The price tag was estimated at $40 million.
Quebec Ministry of Transportation
Plante, who has been promising better mobility for Montrealers, is in favour of bringing the green bridge back and Fortin agrees.
He said the pair will start with consulting residents living on both sides of the proposed overpass and determine what type of infrastructure would best suit their needs.
While this is good news for those who were caught off guard by the structure being scrapped in the first place, pedestrians and cyclists will still have to wait awhile before they can freely cross the highway.
Fortin said right now there's no date set for type of public consultations and while the land for the project is still set aside right now there is no funding, which means it likely will not happen until sometime after the Turcot rebuild is complete in 2020.
The rebuild itself is progressing nicely Fortin said, with about 56 per cent of work complete.
There are still some major closures to come, which means more detours, temporary ramps and traffic nightmares.
To help beat the congestion Fortin suggests leaving your car at home whenever possible and using public transit.