The Concertation interquartier submitted a brief to the BAPE, in June 2009. Below are some of the key points raised in our brief; the complete brief is found here.
- Whatever is done to repair or replace the Turcot Complexe, should be undertaken with the highest degree of respect for local residents. Strong efforts should be made to reduce noise and dust and residents must be kept informed at each step in the construction process.
- It is clear that residents living near this construction site and on the routes that will serve it will be inconvenienced and will suffer. Residents living nearby should be compensated via a community benefits agreement with minimum, legally binding terms.
- The Turcot project should aim to reduce capacity and reduce traffic volumes, not maintain or increase them. The health of residents living near the highway, and the location of two children’s hospitals in close proximity to high density traffic, are key factors. The MTQ proposal (2009) promotes urban sprawl, while our vision is of a more compact, denser neighbourhood development around the MUHC site.
- Access to the South-West Borough should be a top priority for the design both of the hospital and of the Turcot Interchange. The MTQ plan (2009) walls the hospital from St Henri and will create a major barrier for many decades to come.
- The Turcot project should protect the Falaise Saint Jacques, not threaten it. We concur with critics that the MTQ plan pushes traffic density too close to the Falaise and will threaten its viability as a functioning green space.
- Coherency between planning teams is not apparent and the different groups working on these mega-projects do not appear to communicate with each other, and this should change.
