Commuters consider going around Montreal almost like driving into a dead end: you won’t go far before hitting a construction site.
There is an unprecedented amount of public works jobs currently in action on the island.
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City officials are spending $520 million on infrastructure to improve Montreal’s roads, water and sewage networks.
The problem? All the work is being done at the same time and there doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency to get the job done.
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Crews at construction sites largely work from Monday to Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
“Why not work during the night? Why not work 24 hours a day with multiple shifts?” political analyst Karim Boulos told Global News.
He pointed out Montreal is using archaic methods to try to solve modern day traffic and construction problems.
He added, given the high volume of road work, it’s high time Montreal introduced rotating shifts.
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“In this short crunch to get it done, we have to change the rules. If we can’t work on weekends, well change the rules. Make them allowable to work on weekends,” Boulos said.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre explained extending work hours beyond day shifts is decided on a case-by-case basis; often, the interests of nearby residents have to be taken into account.
“People are living in an area and they need to sleep. Sometimes it’s possible, sometime it’s not,” Coderre said.