Bonaventure Expressway makeover includes new park, art and walkways

The City of Montreal has officially unveiled a new look for the stretch of road leading into the Bonaventure Expressway, including green space, walkways and a work of art.

The esthetic overhaul is part of the city's $140-million project announced in 2014 to replace a stretch of the expressway and turn it into an urban boulevard in time for Montreal's 375th anniversary.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre called the new configuration a "major transport route that is modern, durable and well-integrated in the urban milieu" at the inauguration on Wednesday.

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The now-demolished expressway into Montreal has become two boulevards with a total of nine ground-level lanes that lead into Robert-Bourassa Boulevard.

With the addition of a park dividing the boulevard and corridors for pedestrians, Coderre called it a "grand entrance for a grand city."

There is also a streel structure work of art by international artist Jaume Plensa, that will be there for a minimum of 25 years.

For her part, Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante said that while there is a need for green space in the Griffintown area, she was critical of placing a park in the middle of an urban boulevard. 

"Making a park in the middle of an autoroute, we really doubt we are meeting the needs of families and people in the area," said Plante.