There's a proposal to build a massive new beach in Montreal along the Saint Lawrence River in the Ville-Marie neighbourhood of Sainte-Marie.

The beach would sit just north of the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Montrealers would be able to access it from the Parc du Pied-du-Courant via a universally accessible, 60-metre elevated walkway over the CP and Port of Montreal tracks that, right now, form a barrier between the water and neighbourhood.

Port Plage du courant Sainte-Mariewww.youtube.com

The beach and walkway are just one proposal from Les AmiEs du courant Sainte-Marie, a local group that advocates for public access to the river.

Les AmiEs has also proposed building a beach near the Old Port clocktower, an elevated path parallel to the Saint Lawrence and even redirecting the train tracks to open up the shore and its views.

In a statement shared with MTL Blog, group president Victor Balsis explained the latest beach idea takes into account feedback from both the port and City of Montreal. He also said that Les AmiEs has attempted to open dialogue with candidates in the federal and municipal elections.

"As the federal and municipal elections are upon us, these issues are more pertinent than ever," Balsis said.

"Although most of these proposals concern federally owned assets, these issues require close coordination with our municipal government which is normally responsible for urban issues on a local level."

"We have reached out to a few parties/candidates but have not heard back on these specific proposals."