Heated sidewalks unlikely in Ste-Catherine Street facelift, new administration says

Ste-Catherine Street will likely not have the heated sidewalks that Denis Coderre dreamed of three years ago, according tothe new administration.

Mayor Valrie Plante's team is tweaking a four-year construction project that covers 2.2 kilometres of the commercial artery, between Atwater Avenue and the Quartier des spectacles.

Coderre'sinitially planned pedestrian-friendly measures, like heated sidewalks and an inflatable, moveable tunnel, are unlikely to fly underPlante.

"I don't think we'll go this way," said Luc Ferrandez, Plateau-Mont-Royal borough mayor and executive committee memberin charge of big projects.

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These projects would add time to the already lengthy roadwork not to mention theywould be costly for the city, he said.

"I don't think we can go for 2.2 kilometres [of] innovation," Ferrandez told CBC Montreal's Daybreak.

"When we do innovation like this I think we should focus on smaller projects and make sure we control the technology before we expand it."

The city is replacingconcrete, asphalt and sidewalks, as well as the 100-year-old lead pipes that run under the street a fix that's been necessary for some time,Ferrandez said.

City planning to compensate merchants

The work that started today is the first phase of the plan and involves replacing the water and sewer pipes between Bleury and Mansfield streets.

It is expected to take until 2019 to complete.

"In a way, we're eviscerating the street," said city councillor Robert Beaudry.

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While the city intends to compensate merchants on Ste-Catherine who will be affected by road closures and fewer parking spaces, it will take time to determine how to do so, Ferrandez said.

"It's a lot of money, it has to be studied precisely."

Ferrandez said the city wants to make sure the money will go to the merchants, and not just the landlords.

For now, affected merchants will be compensated through a $4.6 million program, including $1.3 million for storefront repairs in the form of grants.

The city is also promising to maintain pedestrian traffic and accessibility to businesses during the roadwork through promotional campaigns and special projects.