Latest news with #PhilippeSabourin
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Montrealers fed up as city rips up new asphalt for second round of construction
Residents say tearing up fresh asphalt for more construction shows poor planning, but the city says it's part of finishing the bike and bus lanes. Some Montrealers living near Henri-Bourassa Boulevard say they're frustrated after fresh asphalt laid down last summer was torn up for more roadwork this spring—construction they feel never seems to end. Christina Iacono, whose daughter's daycare is located right by the Henri-Bourassa Boulevard and Saint-Denis Street intersection, says she's fed up. 'Just trying to get to work… dropping off my daughter has become a nightmare,' Iacono said. 'I don't think digging up the street for a bike lane twice in one year is an efficient way to work.' The street is a major artery with businesses and homes nearby. Residents say it's a challenge to get around, but the City of Montreal says it's adding lanes for bikes and buses. 'It's going to be more secure for pedestrians, for cyclists, for people moving around with public transit as well,' said city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin. He explained that since work wasn't complete, the city put a thin layer of asphalt down to get through the winter. It's this temporary patch that was ripped up and will be replaced with a thicker, more permanent paving job. 'It's impossible to build with concrete and asphalt during the winter because it's too cold. Those material cannot be dried,' he added. And despite delays, the city will complete the project in a month. However, for Iacano, there are too many unanswered questions, so she has launched a petition calling for a moratorium on the construction. 'It's really anger and frustration at how tax dollars are being spent,' she said.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Tour de l'Île: Montrealers asked to clear streets for major cycling event
Cyclists set out on the Tour de l'ile, in Montreal, Sunday, June 5, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP) Montreal's biggest yearly cycling events, the Tour la Nuit and Tour de l'Île, are only days away, and the city is asking residents to plan their commutes in advance. Both events will take place east of Pie-IX Boulevard. Friday's Tour la Nuit will cause road closures between 7 p.m. and midnight. City spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said those living along the race's path will have to move their cars by 1 p.m. or they may be towed. The city created a map highlighting the areas that will need to be cleared. No parking signs are already in place. 'For shoppers, if you have the habit to go with your car to do groceries Friday night, please do it before 7:30 p.m., otherwise it could turn into a nightmare. So, you don't want that. Plan your move,' Sabourin said. Those along the Tour de l'Île path will have to move their cars by the end of Saturday night to make sure the street is clear for Sunday's activities. Road closures are expected between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Though businesses and residents have already been made aware of the road closures, the city is urging people to use the Waze app or Avis et Alerte to plan their weekend commuting. Sabourin said those who plan to use their cars over the weekend should move them out of the highlighted area in advance. The downtown area and the west side of the city should not be affected, Sabourin said. 'It's been months of planning, nothing is left to chance,' he said. Vélo Québec president Jean-François Rheault said those who live in the eastern part of the city should use Highway 40 to get around. STM shuttles will also be in place, as many bus routes will be detoured. This year marks the event's 40th anniversary, and cyclists can still sign up to participate. The Tour de l'Île is one of the city's biggest international summer events. This year's theme is the '80s, with participants encouraged to play music and wear clothing to match the era. 'We're proud of this event,' said Sabourin. 'We want this to be a festive, fun and pleasant event for everyone.' Rheault says people have told him they feel more inspired to ride their bikes after participating in the Tour de l'Île, which he finds encouraging. '[Cycling] is a simple solution to complex problems – it's good for mobility, for the environment and for health. It's also good for the economy,' he said. Millions are expected to participate in the two events.
Montreal Gazette
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Montreal Gazette
Don't be fooled by skinnier cones, Montreal will be orange again this summer
By There will be fewer orange cones on the roads than usual this summer, but there will be just as many construction sites. The city of Montreal and Transport Quebec held their annual briefing on summer roadwork Wednesday, and despite record investments in roads, sewers and bridges in the last few years, the pace of construction season has remained unchanged. 'We have reduced by half the number of cones that we put on roads where the speed limit is 40 kilometres per hour,' said Philippe Sabourin, city of Montreal spokesperson. 'That's major.' Sabourin was referring to the city's updated Charter of Roadwork, which lists norms and best practices the city expects construction companies to follow. He added the city is also insisting that companies use more 'svelte' cones in certain cases so that the cones themselves take up less room. About 1,000 streets will have closures over the course of the summer within the local network, and there will be another 44 construction sites on highways. Within the city, the major roadwork will be on: St-Jacques St. between de la Cathédrale St. and Lucien L'Allier St. The city is also wrapping up construction on Ste-Catherine St. W., between Peel and Mansfield Sts., which will be closed until the fall, while the north-south streets of Peel and Metcalfe will remain open. There will be major work done on the Ville-Marie Expressway, which will require night and weekend closures. St-Urbain St. will be closed from Viger St. to St-Antoine St. Roads and sewers around the CHUM superhospital will be replaced, requiring some streets to be closed or at least narrowed. Further afield, there will be 15 weekend blitzes on the Mercier Bridge, which will force the closing of all but one lane of traffic in each direction. Getting to Trudeau airport will be tricky as well, as there are already three construction sites on the Côte-de-Liesse Expressway. The eastbound Metropolitan Expressway is also due to be closed this long weekend, weather permitting, and on another weekend in June so crews car repave that stretch of roadway. Transport Québec determined that the quality of asphalt did not meet the standards stated in the contract, so the work will have to be redone, spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun said. While the city and province are urging people to take transit to get around, that will be difficult for a large number of commuters because the REM — the newest light-rail network linking Brossard to the downtown core — will be completely shut down for a period of six weeks. The shutdown is needed so workers can run tests throughout the network before opening up the Anse-a-l'Orme and Deux-Montagnes branches, expected for October of this year. Spokesperson Francis Labbé said the tests are going well so far, and the REM trains have begun running at their top speed of about 100 km/h through the Mount Royal Tunnel. However, Labbé said the timeline on the commissioning of the next two branches of the network will depend on how well the tests go during the network's closure in July.
CBC
18-02-2025
- Climate
- CBC
What you need to know about Montreal's snow-clearing operation
Montreal just got hit with two consecutive winter storms, which dumped a record-breaking 75 centimetres of snow on the city over four days. As folks continue to dig out their cars and trudge down uncleared sidewalks, you might be wondering how the city's snow-clearing operation is going. City spokesperson Philippe Sabourin answered some key questions to help you navigate the situation. What progress has the city made so far? Sabourin reported that the snow-clearing rate was around 10 per cent per day, and that around 50 per cent of Montreal's sidewalks were still covered with snow as of Tuesday. Because of the intense amount of snow, the city has said the snow-clearing operation will take at least eight days — longer than usual. He added that the city had carried out a "special operation" over the weekend in boroughs with narrow streets, and that as many as 1,000 kilometres of the city's network had been cleared of snow. Why is the snow-clearing operation expected to take so long? Sabourin said it usually takes four days to clear 20 centimetres of snow with a progression of 25 per cent clearance per day. He says that due to the volume of snow that has fallen in the last few days, the snowblower needs to be used two to three times in the same area instead of just once. Another reason for the delay, Sabourin says, is the amount of cars the city needs to tow during the operation. "Every time we tow a car, we lose about five to 10 minutes," he said. Sabourin urged Montrealers to obey the "no parking" signs to speed up the snow-clearing operations across the city. How does the city prioritize which streets and sidewalks to clear? According to the city's website, snow is cleared from streets based on three levels of priority: Major thoroughfares, access to schools and health institutions, priority bus routes and reserved lanes, major shopping streets. Collector streets, local shopping streets, other bus routes. Industrial and residential areas. When will my trash be picked up? Sabourin said garbage and recycling collection would be suspended for the week. He's asking Montrealers to keep their garbage bags on their balconies or in their homes. He's also encouraging them to bring any bags they see on snow banks near their homes to avoid obstructing the passage of snowplows. "The garbage will turn into a block of ice in the coming hours and if we go with a blower, we will jam the blower. We will get some broken equipment and that's going to slow down the operation," he said. How many snow disposal sites does the city have? Sabourin said there are a total of 24 snow disposal sites across the city. He said there are no concerns over Montreal's ability to get rid of all the snow or the associated costs, as the city has a budget of $200 million for snow removal. One of the biggest snow dumps in the city is the Angrignon site in LaSalle, which has piles of snow reaching 30 metres. "It's as high as a 10-storey building," he said. The city is also using the sewers to get rid of snow by melting it into the wastewater. What should you do if you can't park on the street? Sabourin said there are more than 8,500 free overnight parking spots across the city in the event that you must move your car during street-clearing operations. He advised people to visit the city's website where there is an interactive map indicating where you can park in your neighbourhood.
CBC
18-02-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Quebec struggles to dig out from back-to-back snowstorms
Quebec is still digging out from record-breaking back-to-back storms, with schools in some parts of the province closed. Most schools in Montreal, however, are open despite the abundance of snow and many sidewalks not being cleared. The city of Montreal says the snow-clearing operation will take about eight days — longer than usual. City spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said more than 3,000 city workers have been deployed to clear the snow as loading operations have started. The first storm, the biggest of the season, hit the province on Thursday morning and forced school closures and flight cancellations. Another one struck Montreal on Sunday, leaving more than 40 centimetres of snow. Mike Cohen, spokesperson for the English Montreal School Board, said the school board met with French service centres on the island and decided to reopen classrooms today. "Even though there's a lot of snow on the ground, a lot of difficult conditions, it made sense to reopen because these conditions are not going to change over the next several days and we can't keep kids home from school that long," he said. The Royal Vale School is currently closed due to heating issues with the school's heating system. Closed school boards and service centres include: New Frontiers School Board. Riverside School Board. Centre de services scolaire des Grandes-Seigneuries. Centre de services scolaire Marie-Victorin.
