A construction project for a new public square in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough of Montreal has ended up on residents’ doorsteps.
Chase Clark woke up to the sight of a massive hole and crews outside his Mile End apartment Monday morning.
“I was fully accepting of it, I knew this day was going to come,” Clark said.
Crews had to access the water pipe situated below the apartment on the corner of Frontier and Ste-Dominque street.
Luckily Clark had a back door to leave his home. Crews have since covered the hole with metal sheeting.
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Construction in the area has been on going since June.
“It’s part of the charm, you wake up at 7 a.m. for the last three months and your front walkway is gone,” Clark said.
“You stop really caring.”
Crews are working on a redevelopment project that will see the creation of a new public square and green space.
Work on the $6 million revamp will see the street turn into a pedestrian walkway.
The project will have larger sidewalks, 50 newly-planted trees, multiple park benches and bike racks.
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Anxiety, anger, bewilderment are some of the emotions restaurant co-owner Ethan Wills says he has been going through as he deals with the street being ripped up in front of his business.
Wills said Larrys Cafe as well as Lawrence Restaurant have been affected by the construction and he worries the work will hurt his bottom line.
“Throwing challenges at a business where profit margins are minute certainly doesn’t help,” Wills said.
He does see a bright future with a new pedestrian-friendly park beside his business but he worries about staying afloat until the completion.
“It will be a great environment for us to operate in; it’s certainly more appealing to me,” Wills said. “Just hope we’re in business when the work is done.”
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The City of Montreal has previously said merchants will have to apply for compensation with the city and prove that revenue was lost during construction. Retail stores and restaurants could receive up to $30,000 a year in financial aid.
Ninety per cent of the project is expected to be finished by November. The remaining 10 per cent of the work will carry over into next year with a scheduled completion by next spring.
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