The future of the Van Horne overpass is once again up for debate, with varying ideas about what should happen to it. The span connecting Montreal’s Plateau-Mont-Royal and Rosemont boroughs is nearing the end of its life, and after more than a decade of discussion, there is no consensus on how to replace it. “Denis Coderre was mayor when I started to hear about the replacement of the overpass,” said Marie Plourde, Plateau-Mont-Royal city councillor. About 15,000 vehicles use the east-west artery daily, and the area beneath it has become a community hub, with a skatepark, bike path and even festivals. Montreal’s municipal administration and the opposition agree it’s time to decide, but disagree on the vision. Plourde, opposition councillor representing Projet Montreal, said she doesn’t want to see the community spaces demolished along with the overpass. “They propose an overpass or an underpass, and both projects that they propose would imply that we remove everything that is under it. So it removes all the infrastructure we invested in over the last ten years. It’s millions,” she said. Alan DeSousa, the executive committee member for infrastructure for the city of Montreal, said it’s time to redevelop the area. “The Van Horne viaduct is nearing the end of its useful life, and we want to seize this opportunity to deliver an ambitious project that will breathe new life into the area,” he said. Plourde said it needs to serve and suit the community.“We want something really creative. I’m all for the vintage trend, but we don’t want the infrastructure that represents the past,” she said. Even within Projet Montreal, there are two visions that it says can work together. Those in the Plateau section, Plourde said, want to keep some of the structure and its view of Mount Royal, by keeping a section open for bike and pedestrian traffic. Those in Rosemont want part of their portion torn down to build a housing project. After a decade of debate, those proposals face a deadline: the lifespan of the overpass ends in 2030.
