Renovation of the Berri-UQAM station | The cycle detour already re-evaluated by the City
Barely put in place, a bicycle detour installed for the renovation work at the Berri-UQAM station has already been re-evaluated by the City due to the discontent generated among merchants in the area.
Published yesterday at
This detour, installed in the last few days on Rue Atateken, aims to replace the popular cycle path on Rue Berri which will be closed from next January. It must be maintained until November 2028, according to a summary of the work drawn up by the City of Montreal and released last summer.
It aims to divert traffic as part of repair work on the waterproof membrane of the roof of the Berri-UQAM station which will force the complete closure of Berri Street between Ontario and Sainte-Catherine Streets until November 2027.
However, barely installed, it is causing a lot of headaches for merchants in the area, some of whom expressed their concerns to the municipal council Monday evening.
“There has been no consultation with traders on the subject. Secondly, we already have enough problems in the area with traffic, homelessness and security,” lamented a business owner, also denouncing the removal of several parking spaces.
A manager of the Olympia performance hall, whose landing stage overlooks Atateken, was concerned about a “loss of more than 40% of our turnover from the end of 2026, with several productions already considering abandoning us for lack of minimum logistical conditions”.
In response to these concerns, the city councilor of the Saint-Jacques district, where the work will take place, and new president of the city’s executive committee, Claude Pinard, promised “a solution which, I think, will suit everyone”, and this, “in the coming days”.
Claude Pinard also recalled that he had “inherited” this situation from the last administration, but that he and his teams had “immediately got to work”. “We are already working with the City teams, we have already spoken with citizens, we have already spoken with the [Société de développement commercial (SDC) du Village] “, he insisted.
