Completion of this $2 million project, which will begin this fall and be completed next year, was confirmed Friday by the City of Sherbrooke. The signage for the future level crossing is already visible on site.
This new section of road also connects to the Boulevard des Grandes-Fourches, which is expected to regain its status as an important traffic axis with the opening of the bridge of the same name, expected at the end of October. Appropriate access for pedestrians and cyclists is also planned.
It was also in response to a recommendation contained in a 2011 coroner’s report, the city of Sherbrooke said Friday. Due to the break-ins observed and a fatal incident, it was suggested that a safe crossing be established at this location.
At the end of November, the city center returns to the Well Sud
A little further up, on Wellington Street, one of Sherbrooke’s longest road projects of 2023 is now coming to an end. Six more weeks and Wellington Street South can be reopened to traffic.
This is a delay of about a month that was justified by rainy weather, other nearby construction sites and “disturbances” in work on the aqueduct, the city of Sherbrooke said Friday.
The full reconstruction of the road between King and Sanborn, which began in April last year, also includes the development of the new public plaza between the two towers of the Espace Centro, a total project worth $11 million. The latter has already largely taken shape, as we discovered during a visit at the invitation of the city of Sherbrooke.
“It remains to fill the planting pits, install umbrellas and street furniture, as well as install the planned fountain along the street, an operation that will take place in 2024,” said Jocelyn Grenier, deputy director of the infrastructure department. urban areas in the city.
At the Espace Centro the lane deviates to the left and the public square extends towards the street, a section where we find paving stones in particular. The idea is to give “pedestrians and cyclists plenty of space” in the atmosphere of the street without obstructing car traffic, Mr. Grenier explained.
The new Wellington South Street will still have a very local dimension, while main transit is planned through other axes such as Grandes-Fourches. According to Jocelyn Grenier, direct access to parking via Rue du Dépôt also reduces the need to drive into Wellington.
Vehicle traffic will be one-way north, from the Dépôt towards King Street, the opposite of what was in place before the closure.
Concrete island?
When asked about the current very concrete appearance of the public square, the deputy head of the city’s infrastructure service assured that the planned plantings would provide “good coverage from the start,” but that the largest trees would apparently take a while before they would provide significant coverage.
“I think that in 10 years we will have a much more interesting canopy with the creation of gray areas, which is what we are aiming for in a public square.” […] It definitely is [un endroit] largely mineralized,” he said.
For Regional Planning Commission President Councilwoman Joanie Bellerose, it is obvious that the tree policy the commission is currently working on must “advance” these types of considerations in future city interventions, such as at 400 Marquette. she also gives as an example.
“There is certainly more to do [en matière de verdissement]. Every time we are told it is very expensive,” she shared. For example, the city is not currently calculating the impact of a project on the problem of heat islands, she admits. “It will become a priority [avec la politique]At least I hope so,” she reacted on Friday.