JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The City of Beaconsfield will spend more than $840,000 to restore a pillar of the pedestrian bridge that straddles Highway 20. 

The project will restore a single pillar of the bridge that has visibly deteriorated over the past few years, said Beaconsfield director-general Patrice Boileau. Motorists travelling along Highway 20 can see the decaying concrete at the base of the pillar in the median between the east and westbound lanes of the autoroute.

The project will see the pillar repaired both for esthetic reasons and for the protection of the integrity of the overpass, Boileau explained in an interview with The 1510 West. The municipality is aiming to have the project completed “before the end of this year,” he added.

For now, the project is expected to be funded by a $844,270 loan bylaw approved by Beaconsfield council last month. However, as a pedestrian bridge falls under the category of “active transport,” the city may have the chance to take advantage of provincial funding support, Boileau explained.

A Quebec government fund that aims to “support the development, improvement and maintenance of active transportation infrastructure,” according to the provincial government’s website, includes providing grants to municipalities for projects that encourage active transportation. This includes restoration projects for infrastructure designated for pedestrian use.

However, the program has not been accepting applications for grants since this past summer. “Normally, it comes back in the fall,” Boileau said, “but so far, it hasn’t come back.”

Transports Quebec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun confirmed the ministry is not accepting applications for grants under the program at this time, but the funding initiative will be renewed. No date for the renewal, however, has been released.

Cutline:
The pedestrian overpass next to Beaconsfield High School straddles both Highway 20 and the railway tracks north of the expressway.