Drivers looking for traffic relief on the West Island will have a few more hurdles to get around now that work has started on Antoine-Faucon Street.
There will eventually be closures on the street between Château Pierrefonds Avenue and St-Charles Boulevard.
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Residents told Global News they believe more traffic delays are on their way on the already as a result.
“Honestly, it’s going to be really hard,” said Fruzan Farhang, who has been living off of Antoine-Faucon for the last 22 years.
Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis said the upcoming construction is part of an attempt to improve roads in the borough.
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“We are starting with the sidewalks and all of that that comes with the infrastructure work,” he said.
“And, then the asphalt, as far as we understand, we are looking at that being completed as soon as the weather allows us to do that beginning when the frost settles in the spring and into the summer of next year.”
Beis said two lanes — one in each direction — are currently open to drivers along Antoine-Faucon.
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“As we move forward, there’s a stretch that will be completely closed in phases because of the roadwork and infrastructure work that’s to take place in depth,” he said.
“We will then have closures and at that time and we will look at ways to detour the population.”
One resident taking a walk along Antoine-Faucon said she’s afraid it will create a backlog of traffic on other streets.
“I use Brunswick to go to St-Charles and there is already enough traffic there but if they close Antoine-Faucon it will really be a lot of traffic and problem for a lot of Kirkland residents,” she said.
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Beis confidently maintained the work was necessary and will serve citizens of Pierrefonds for decades to come.
While the work on the sidewalks this fall could be an inconvenience, he said residents won’t see full closures of the street until sometime in 2019.
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