For more than four years, Stéphanie Labelle and her neighbors have had to deal with dust, noise and the comings and goings of heavy machinery in front of their home, in the Pointe-Saint-Charles district of Montreal, where a construction site water pipe repairs accumulate problems and delays.
“I’m distraught, we don’t know what’s happening. The contractor and the City are throwing the ball at each other, they are each blaming the other, while we find ourselves in the middle of all this and we have no information,” lamented Mr.me Labelle, interviewed Tuesday near the huge hole dug in front of his door on Grand Trunk Avenue, where there has been no activity since January.
Monday evening, the citizen made a heartfelt cry during the municipal council’s question session. In tears, she denounced the lack of information transmitted to residents of the area affected by the work.
“Is this reasonable Mme Planted to have work done directly in front of your home for such a long time without being properly informed? », she asked, calling out to the mayor. “It’s been four years, it’s unacceptable!” The dust, the noise, the number of nights I haven’t slept because of the work in front of our house, it’s hellish! »
Stéphanie Labelle launched a petition and collected nearly 250 signatures from exasperated residents demanding accountability from the City, including compensation for the inconveniences they must endure.
“The most difficult construction site”
In response, the head of the water service, Maya Vodanovic, admitted that it was “the most difficult project in the City of Montreal for water”. The work is two years late, she added Tuesday at a press briefing.
Mme Vodanovic cited problems with the contractor responsible for the site, Duroking. “There is a water service inspector who is there every day, but despite that, we still have non-compliances on the site which must be corrected,” she explained.
Before the municipal council, Stéphanie Labelle mentioned the fact that the City had purchased pipes from the United Arab Emirates, rather than those from a local supplier, according to the comments of a site manager. These pipes would have broken, forcing the resumption of work.
This element is part of the problems, revealed Maya Vodanovic. “But I cannot comment further in case it is taken to court,” she added.
Since the start of preparatory work for this project in October 2019, residents have received a succession of work notices, with deadlines that have never been respected.
Some examples :
January 2024: “Supply issues that occurred in December prevented us from completing work on the water main, forcing us to maintain three excavations. Construction can resume upon receipt of materials. »
October 2023: “Starting the week of October 16, 2023, work will resume on Grand Trunk Street. Indeed, following analyses, corrective work must take place. Please note that the section will be temporarily asphalted by the end of 2023.”
May 2023: “Technical difficulties have forced us to suspend construction for the last two weeks. Following analyses, corrective work must be carried out. Until this work is possible, the excavations on Grand Trunk Street will be backfilled or protected, between D’Argenson Street and Tansey Square. »
December 2022: “Delays linked to unforeseen situations at the underground works combined with delays in the supply of materials force us to postpone the end date of the work. »
Mayor Valérie Plante recognized that the City should have better informed citizens in the area of the problems encountered. “The question of communications is essential. We know very well that, when we don’t know what’s happening, it plays in our heads and in our guts, there is nothing worse in life,” she replied to Stéphanie Labelle.
To show residents that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, Maya Vodanovic indicated that work would resume in 10 days for four to five weeks, before the backfilling of the site and the asphalting, which should be carried out at the end. end of June.
Will there be compensation for those inconvenienced? “We will see with our litigation if we can respond to this request,” she replied.