Old wooden sleepers that recently became visible again on a Montreal street have been removed by the Sud-Ouest district.
Published yesterday at 9:30 p.m.
“The Southwest Public Works team set out on September 20 to saw the roadway and remove the old wooden ties and damaged paving. On Thursday, she prepared the foundation of the road structure in preparation for the temporary paving that will take place on Friday. The passage is currently secured for cars,” emphasizes Anyck Paradis, communications manager for the southwest district.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The sleepers who reappeared on Rue du Couvent on September 11th
The sleepers visible on Rue du Couvent near Rue Notre-Dame were probably part of the Grand Trunk railway line. They were the subject of an article in La Presse last week.
Pierre Barrieau, president of Gris Orange Consultant and lecturer at the University of Montreal’s planning faculty, noted that they were “very likely” ties from the railway line that connected the Port of Lachine to downtown Montreal, the first railway in Montreal . which crossed the Saint-Henri district.
“I bet it came from that railroad,” he said.
In Montreal over the last century, many railway and tram tracks were covered with bitumen, which was a cheaper option than removing them.
Through frost and thaw, the thresholds become visible again over the years. A phenomenon that is accelerating as the climate warms and increasing the number of freeze and thaw events in the cold season.
The situation posed some danger as wet wood is slippery to the person placing the wheel or foot on it.