The roadwork on Ste. Catherine St. means the annual St. Patrick's Day parade may be running along the new route on de Maisonneuve Blvd. for another three to five years.
Parade officials told a news conference at Montreal city hall that they hope to return to the traditional route on Ste Catherine St. in five years' time when they'll be celebrating their 200th edition of the event.
The infrastructure work on Ste. Catherine forced parade officials to move the route to de Maisonneuve. It'll begin at City Councillors and head west to Mackay and then down to René-Lévesque.
Officials said they couldn't go further west along de Maisonneuve because police told them crossing Guy St. would mean havoc for commuters leaving or going to Guy metro and for anyone heading to the Montreal General Hospital.
This year's parade features nearly 110 groups with 15 floats and 17 bands including the Black Watch and the Glengarry Pipe Band.
Parade day is Sunday, March 18 and the event begins at noon.