Two sections of Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest will be pedestrianized

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante presented on Wednesday the plan for the next stage of the redevelopment of Sainte-Catherine Street West, between Peel and Saint-Marc streets. Two sections of this street will be pedestrianized.

Work is scheduled to begin in summer 2025.

The City of Montreal explained that as it must replace obsolete underground infrastructures, dating from the end of the 19^e centuryshe seized the opportunity to redevelop this area of ​​the city center.

In the process, Montreal is planning the development of two public squares, named McGill and Concordia, right on the street. One will be between Robert-Bourassa Boulevard and Mansfield Street and the other, between Bishop and Guy Streets.

The City of Montreal specifies that it aims to maximize the attractiveness and retention potential of this commercial artery.

This project is inspired by studies which have shown that in the presence of a commercial artery located in a city center, the majority of revenue comes from customers who travel actively.

Furthermore, municipal authorities indicate that to minimize the effects of the work, they will put in place several mitigation measures, with an envelope of $700,000 only for the year 2025.

The City of Montreal emphasizes thatappropriate financial assistance will be availableand specifies that there is two existing programs Who offer maximum grants of up to $45,000.

Anger of a downtown organization

The announcement of this new development does not only make people happy. The Downtown Montreal Commercial Development Corporation (SDC), which represents 5,000 businesses, claims to have not been consulted for this major project.

The organization’s general director, Glenn Castanheira, asked that the project be postponed until after the municipal election.

He judges thatthere is a significant breakdown of trust between the downtown Montreal business community and the Plante administration.

For her part, Valérie Plante assured that the City of Montreal is talking about this project for two years including trade associations.

We try to work with those who represent them. We work with citizen associations and universities. We try to reconcile [les intérêts]she explained.

We found the best compromise assured the mayor of Montreal.