No way out: Recent gas leak highlights Côte Saint-Luc's need for Cavendish Extension

Côte Saint-Luc resident Michael Litvack woke on Sept. 6 to discover his bedside clock had stopped working at around 8:15 a.m.

It quickly became apparent he was among the more than 10,000 Hydro-Québec customers in Montreal's west end without power after authorities shut it off due to a gas leak near the intersection of Kildare Road and Cavendish Boulevard.

As a crew repaired the broken gas pipe and nearby residences were evacuated, the Cavendish Boulevard underpass — one of just two ways out of Côte Saint-Luc — was only accessible by side streets.

The main part of Côte Saint-Luc is surrounded by train tracks and a rail yard, making the underpasses on Cavendish and Westminster Avenue the only two routes out of a suburban municipality of more than 30,000 people.

Côte Saint-Luc's roads are generally quiet but, with one underpass partially blocked, the gas leak ignited a traffic nightmare. Gridlock around both underpasses lasted for several hours despite the Montreal fire department's request that motorists avoid the area.

"People in my part of Côte Saint-Luc were stuck," said Litvack, who struggled to get a blood test that day. "Businesses had to close. Schools had to close. Doctors appointments had to be rescheduled."

It served as a stark reminder of how Côte Saint-Luc's design leaves it vulnerable, he said.

The municipality has seen big changes in the last decade as new homes and residential buildings are added every year. Several large-scale, multi-storey apartment complexes are currently under construction and there is talk of more on the way.

"It's going to get worse," Litvak said. "As the cars increase and the people increase, the problems will increase."

There are four emergency gates that allow vehicles to drive over train tracks, but opening them requires coordination with the train companies.

The best solution, most say, would be a third exit to the north, heading to Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough and the Town of Mount Royal, but the so-called Cavendish Extension has been firmly anchored in the discussion phase for some five decades — those discussions were delayed two more years earlier this week.

Mayor says Cavendish Extension is in the works

After the gas leak, Mayor Mitchell Brownstein has been reminding residents that he is working hard on bringing the Cavendish Extension to life.

"We definitely need another route out," he told CBC News.

It is no longer a question of if, it is a question of when, said Brownstein, noting he's made it a top priority since assuming office in 2016.

The project has been in Montreal's capital work budget since 2015 with a completion date originally set for 2020. Currently, Montreal has $13 million earmarked for the cause and money is set aside at the provincial level as well.

While Canadian Pacific (CP) is asking for a costly tunnel under the entire rail yard, Brownstein said he, along with the other levels of government, is pushing for two underpasses under the two separate tracks just north of Cavendish Boulevard.

Rather than being an alternate to the nearby Decarie Expressway, it would be a quieter, ground-level roadway that, fitting with the neighbourhood's character, connects Côte Saint-Luc to Mount Royal's Royalmount Avenue and St-Laurent's section of Cavendish Boulevard.

The indirect route would follow a to-be-built, fenced-in road through the rail yard and a small portion of private land owned by the property developer, Olymbec.

Montreal reserved that undeveloped land for expropriation and, on Thursday, the agglomeration council extended the reserve for another two years, to buy time for Montreal to continue its negotiations with CP.

The future of the Cavendish Extension hinges on those negotiations — negotiations that have been ongoing for a number of years. 

"We just need to keep pushing to get the proper road built that isn't a highway, but allows us a way out of our city," said Brownstein. The renewed two-year extension on the reserved land, he added, means "everybody is on a timeline."

However, Montreal also extended negotiations by another two years Tuesday and MNA David Birnbaum described that decision as "disappointing" because it green lights further delays.

"We have always said and continue to say, we will be absolutely and fundamentally involved in the development of the Cavendish Extension," he said, describing it as not only important for the safety of residents, but also for the economy.

He said he's called meetings between all the players involved to accelerate the process and the province has been offering support.

"We're all ready to be a major part of this project and it's time for it to move forward."

For that to happen, he concluded, Montreal needs to complete negotiations with CP. 

When contacted for more information about the negotiations and delays, CP spokesperson Jeremy Berry said CP continues to work closely with local officials on this matter.​

To help push the project forward, Côte Saint-Luc Coun. David Tordjman is encouraging residents to raise their own voices to the cause as, he said, the gas leak brought safety to the forefront of the discussion.

With Quebec's general election heating up and Canada's election just around the corner, he said, "We need more firm action from all levels of government."