According to a report in Journal de Montréal two architectural firms quit REM project due to being ugly. The firms have stepped away from the 10 billion dollar project due to the fact they did not want their firm names to be associated with the project, calling it an eyesore.
The portion that had the firms step away are along Rene-Levesque and Notre-Dame boulevards in the east end of Montreal. A large number of residents have voiced their opinions on that section and requested it be built underground.
The citizens group called Regroupment Citoyen REM Ville-Marie said, “We fear that it is going to be extremely noisy and have large vibrations.”
The REM spokesperson said that going underground was not a viable option due to water mains and sewers. Also it would cause a danger to the Metro system and surrounding buildings could collapse.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said, she’d prefer to see the downtown parts of the REM project go underground.
Opposition leader Lionel Perez doesn’t understand why the Montreal Mayor isn’t saying anything. She has the reports and she knows the Metro and skycrappers are at risk.
Perez also said about the two architectural firms, “If you’re refusing a lot of money for a job, it must be a really bad idea to go forward with it.”
Other articles from mtltimes.ca – totimes.ca – otttimes.ca
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Five West End REM Stations revealed
