City to stand by its decision to close Upper Lachine underpass

By P.A. Sévigny, October 10th, 2012

Following last week’s Monday evening demonstration in front of the Vendome Metro Station, borough residents are still concerned as to why the city remains determined to close the Upper Lachine underpass that leads into the Décarie intersection near what will soon be the new Glen yards hospital complex. While some believe the city’s initiative will effectively cut off the borough’s ‘South-Side’ from the rest of the city, others are concerned about bicycle access and assorted traffic issues for the rest of the sector’s business interests. As far as borough activist Marlo Turner-Ritchie is concerned, the city will have to answer a lot of questions before they go ahead and block off the underpass because more than a few local residents are worried that the Tremblay Administration’s decision to close the underpass will further isolate their neighborhood from the rest of the borough and the city.
City authorities did try to explain their side of the story but as their message arrived long past The Suburban’s usual Monday afternoon deadline; its response could not be included in last week’s issue of the paper. However, according to city spokesman Philippe Sabourin, the city is already heavily invested in the hospital’s immediate vicinity and there’s lots more to come over the next two years While Sabourin’s message admits that the present situation around the Décarie intersection is “difficult”, he also believes that people should consider the fact that the city also intends to convert a short stretch of the De Maisonneuve Blvd. into a two way street in order to accommodate both cars and emergency vehicles that will be using the Addington exit ramp to get off the Décarie Expressway on their way to the hospital. As the new influx of vehicles will surely bring new traffic to the intersection, Sabourin said the city has little choice but to reduce what is presently a 5-way intersection into a 4-way intersection in order to maintain safety and security throughout what is bound to be one of the city’s busiest intersections.
“We’re doing everything we can for the people who live in that part of the borough,” said CDN/NDG Borough manager Stéphane Plante. “We understand what they’re going through and we’re doing the best we can to make it easier for them to get through all this.”
By all ‘this’, he meant all of the difficulties caused by the ongoing construction around the Décarie intersection leading to the new Glen Yards Hospital Complex. During a brief interview held on the corner of Décarie and Sherbrooke while he attended the inauguration of the borough’s new mural, Plante did say that the borough intends to maintain some kind of space for both pedestrians and cyclists who wish to make their way through what used to be the old underpass on their way into the city. While he understands how local residents may have some reservations about closing the underpass, Plante also mentioned that the sector’s vehicle traffic will still have its choice of exits along the St. Jacques Road, Girouard or Crowley Avenue.
Public consultations about the city’s plan to close the Upper Lachine underpass are expected to be held in a matter of weeks.n