An Montreal woman says she was shocked to return home from vacation and discover ongoing roadwork had effectively cut off access to her property by car, with several neighbours alleging they received little or no advance notice of the construction.
Alison Aylward arrived home after a 10-day trip to Newfoundland to find her driveway and walkway on Kensington Avenue severed from the rest of the street by a major infrastructure project.
“Either I catapult or zipline, or a possible leap in an inelegant gazelle-like fashion,” Aylward joked.
The work is part of a major road reconstruction project in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood. Several residents told Global News they were not adequately informed before access to their properties became restricted.
“Certainly a little preemptive notice would have been appreciated,” said Aylward.
Neighbour Natalie Solomon said her household did receive a letter, but only shortly before work began.
“There was a letter that was sent. We received it the day before everything started,” she said.
Several other residents who declined to appear on camera told Global News they received notices only after construction had already started.
Beyond the inconvenience, Aylward says the project is affecting her volunteer work with NDG Caring Cooks, a community organization that prepares food for families in need.
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“We’re in the middle of a distribution to 54 people — 18 families — that count on us about four to six times a year. I have 40 litres of gazpacho I’m in there trying to make,” she said.
Solomon said she is also concerned about safety.
“I have a stroller, I have two kids. It’s dangerous,” she said.
The City of Montreal says the project includes widening sidewalks and rebuilding the roadway. While some residents support infrastructure improvements, others worry the redesigned street could create traffic challenges once school resumes.
“The person who was in charge on site, when we informed them that STM buses pass here, he looked surprised,” said resident Charles Marroni.
Solomon questioned whether larger vehicles would have enough room to pass safely.
“Imagine an emergency vehicle needs to get by, like an ambulance or a fire truck. It leaves nearly no room,” she said.
In a statement, the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough said disruptions are unavoidable during major infrastructure work.
“Unfortunately, traffic disruptions, a lack of parking spaces, the presence of machinery, noise, and dust are unavoidable during this work,” the statement said.
The borough also said contractors notify affected residents before work begins.
“In the case of Kensington, a notice was distributed around July 1,” the statement said.
Residents, however, argue the notice came too late.
“It’s the late notice of it, right? There was no month-in-advance warning,” said Marroni. “It’s also the summer. People are on vacation.”
Aylward stressed that she supports the need for infrastructure upgrades but remains frustrated by the lack of communication.
“It’s really kind of apocalyptic, with all respect to the city, all respect to the workers, and the work has to be done. We received no notice,” she said.
According to Aylward, she was told the project could continue until September.
The city says construction crews will take a two-week break during the annual construction holiday and that driveways should be accessible by then.