City seeks input on proposed green space next to the new Turcot Interchange

Environmentalists' long-time dream of turning the space around the Turcot Interchange into a park is one step closer to being a reality.

The City of Montreal, in partnership with the province,plans to develop a new park in the space freed up by the reconstruction of the Turcot Interchange.

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The City, along with its public consultation body, held a meeting on Monday night to ask citizens what they'd like to see in the new park.

"The consultations have now been launched by the city because we are serious about turning this eco-territoire into a park," said Coun.Peter McQueen.

"We want to know exactly what the public would like to see in this park."

The proposed park is in the Saint-Jacques Escarpment Ecoterritory. The City says it will cover almost 30 hectares along two kilometres.

The new park will complement a proposed north-south link, known as the Dalle-Parc, that will allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross Highway 20, restoring links between the Sud-Ouest borough and the CDN-NDG borough.

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All of this is music to the ears of Lisa Mintz, a member of the group Sauvons la Falaise, a group that has lobbied for the north-south link.

"I'm, like, so excited," she said. "It's just a matter of getting this done It's all about now making sure that all the promises that have been are kept."

Official documents say the current plan is to turn the area between the new highway and Notre-Dame Street into a new park.

That area is currently paved and inaccessible to foot traffic.

The City is looking at turning the area south of the Turcot into a cyclist-friendly zone.

Construction of the park will begin after the Turcot construction is over.

With files from Navneet Pall