Ste. Anne bike path becomes reality

After a 10-year negotiation process and much back and forth between the City of Montreal, Ste. Anne de Bellevue and McGill University's Macdonald College, a bicycle path linking Ste. Anne's different sectors is set to become a reality. "It's all worked out very well," said Ste. Anne mayor and known bike enthusiast Bill Tierney.

Tierney credited the cooperative nature of current Macdonald College dean Chandra Madramootoo as a significant factor behind the project moving forward.

Montreal's agglomeration council, which oversees all expenses regarding biking infrastructure on the island, is forking over about $1.17 million to build the path, according to the city's municipal council meeting minutes.

One section of the currently existing path follows Ste. Anne Street to Highway 40, and another crosses the highway near the interchange on Anciens Combattants Boulevard.

The new section should link Anciens Combattants Boulevard to Meloche Street, covering about 1.9 kilometres mostly on Ste. Marie Street. A small part of it between Anciens Combattants and des Pins Road will go through a field that belongs to Macdonald College.

Linking up to Meloche means the bike path will go all the way to Pierrefonds/Roxboro, and thanks to that borough's bike path, Ste. Anne will join the Kirkland and Dollard des Ormeaux bike paths as well, Tierney said.

He added the project should hopefully be completed within the next three to four years. "Hopefully three," he said with a laugh.