Questions continue to linger over Dalle-Parc pedestrian walkway

At a meeting in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Monday, residents got a chance to speak with Transport Quebec officials about the long awaited Dalle-Parc pedestrian  walkway.

The project was first proposed by Transport Quebec in 2010 to link Lasalle, Lachine and the Sud-Ouest boroughs to Notre-Dame-de-Grâce over the Turcot Interchange.

“Instead of having a lot of detours, it would allow people to get to NDG within 10 minutes,” said Tania Gonzalez from the Conseil Regional Environnement Montreal (CRE-Montreal) “It benefits the environment and the greening of the city.

It was scrapped shortly after it was proposed in 2010 due to its $40 million price tag.

Last week, Transport Minister André Fortin said that yes, the project will go ahead.

Monday, residents held a demonstration outside the Transport Ministry calling for more details to be made public.

“We want to know when, and how much,” environmentalist Lisa Mintz told Global News. “We need firm promises now so that however things work out in the election, there is money for the Dalle-Parc.”

The City of Montreal and the Quebec provincial government have promised to split a $125,000 feasibility study on the project.

“There is a price tag,” said Steve Charters of the NDG Community Council. “Nothing is free, but compared to the cost of the Turcot, it is a minimal cost,”

A representative from Transport Minister André Fortin’s office insists an official announcement for the Dalle-Parc pedestrian walkway will take place “soon.”