CÔTE SAINT-LUC – Councillor Jeremy Searle has been handing out flyers in opposition to a proposed extension in Côte Saint-Luc that would link Cavendish Boulevard and Highway 40.
It’s a project that’s been decades in the making, and one that Searle said he’s always been against.
“I call it the vampire project because it’s like Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” he said.
“It comes back once every generation and I’m the Slayer.”
Cavendish Boulevard goes from commercial to residential to a dead end, marking the end of the street – and some councillors hope the symbolic end of the project.
“The death of the community would be followed by the Cavendish highway from the 40 to the 20, it would be the irrevocable defeat of the community of NDG,” insisted Searle.
Borough mayor Russell Copeman disagrees, saying he’s heard the argument time and time again.
“What I find unfortunate is the bombast and the hysteria when opponents, in particular Jeremy, describe it as the Cavendish autoroute,” said Copeman.
He said planning will continue full steam ahead.
However, there are still hurdles to overcome as the city needs to negotiate land that is currently owned by CN and CP rail.
They also need to secure funding from the Quebec government.
“It’s an urban boulevard with a limited number of traffic lanes, an integrated bike path, reserved bus lane. It’s not designed as an alternative for the 15 or the 13,” he said.
The project is slated to break ground in 2019.