The city of Montreal says it's "stabilizing" the number of roadwork projects as of this year even with 45% of its roads in bad shape.
The city announced its annual list of roadwork that includes 25 major projects, most of them downtown.
The city will neither increase nor decrease the pace or number of work projects — they said they turned down 50% of requested project permits to avoid a glut of roadwork gumming up traffic.
Executive committee member in charge of roads and infrastructure Sylvain Ouellet announced that the construction squad they promised during the election campaign will begin their work next month — six roving inspectors will pay surprise visits to construction sites.
"Our main goal is to ensure that what we are paying and what we are asking is what we get," Ouellet told reporters.
Get ready for 2019 orange cone season in Montreal : 25 major roadwork projects worth $766M: most downtown, some that are underway(Ste Catherine, Peel) or starting (Notre Dame W., Dr. Penfield), some ending only in a few years from now(Laurentien/Lachapelle). #CJAD800 #polmtl pic.twitter.com/sGAe3t2vk0
— Shuyee Lee (@sleeCJAD) April 11, 2019
He also announced that they intend to create a "Charter of Construction" that aims to reduce nuisances caused by roadwork, improve communication with residents and merchants and improve safety. It should take effect next year and contractors will be obliged to respect it in order to receive permits and contracts.
The official opposition Ensemble Montreal took the Plante administration to task for promising $1.2B in roadwork and only delivering $662M last year.
Leader Lionel Perez also said that reducing the pace of roadwork will mean it'll take more years to do the work and will mean "more potholes, more broken tires, more frustration."
City of #Montreal also introducing the construction squad @projetmontreal promised during the election campaign: as of May, six inspectors checking roadwork/construction sites to make sure they’re respecting the rules and sites are safe. #CJAD800 #polmtl pic.twitter.com/suk8OQ1G55
— Shuyee Lee (@sleeCJAD) April 11, 2019
Some of the major projects are already underway such as Ste Catherine W., St. Hubert, Peel, Laurentien/Lachapelle and Griffintown.
Other streets will see a return of orange cones such as Notre Dame West in Little Burgundy between Atwater and Charlevoix lasting all year and Doctor Penfield between McTavish and Pine lasting until 2025.
The city will spend about $766M this year on roadwork and fixing up water mains.
