Montreal's Saint-Catherine Street May Be Getting Heated Sidewalks
Photo cred - Christopher DeWolf
Each and ever winter, without fail, the sidewalks of Montreal become icy sheets of doom. As much as the city may try to keep walkways free of ice and snow, the task is nigh impossible, and Montrealers are left with a veritable slip 'n slide beneath their boots. Heated sidewalks would solve this ever-present issue, which may become a reality on St. Catherine street, according to La Presse.
Heated sidewalks on St. Catherine street has been potentiality brought forth several times during the ongoing discussion on the future renovations to be performed on St. Cats. The idea has taken one step forward to reality, as the City of Montreal has sanctioned a feasibility study on the project.
Major points of interest for the City of Montreal will be the cost to install the heating system, the kind of energy that will be used, and how the melted water will be managed. The study is set to be finished by the end of the month, with an official decision to take place at the beginning of winter. If all goes well, work on St. Catherine's heated sidewalks will begin in 2016.
The benefits of a heated sidewalk on one of the busiest streets in Montreal are hard to ignore. Even if the system costs a lot of dough, Montreal could save a bunch of cash just in snow removal costs, and there is the idea floating around to have businesses pitch in for the costs. Hopefully cost isn't the deciding factor (like with everything else) because with how long winter lasts in Montreal, we need all the help we can get against the cold, ice, and snow.
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