New Industrial Boulevard’s grand opening

Châteauguay Mayor Pierre-Paul Routhier officially opened Industrial Boulevard on Thursday, October 15th, accompanied by business leaders from the municipality. The ribbon cutting puts an end to two years of work on this artery which now boasts 4 lanes and a multifunctional track. The Mayor did not conceal his pride at the achievement. “The boulevard cost $13.5M. It will last at least 35 years. That $13.5M isn’t an expense but rather an investment,” he commented in a press conference. The city had not been able to obtain a grant for this project. Mr. Routhier believes that this revamped infrastructure will help the municipality welcome new businesses into its industrial park, as well as improve the mobility of companies’ products and help existing companies to “pick up steam.” He likens the boulevard to a gateway for drivers coming in from Highway 30. For the moment, the boulevard’s four lanes- as opposed the two lanes that existed before– extend from Highway 30 to Pascal Street. The long-term goal is to have all four lanes extend to Saint-Jean-Baptiste Boulevard. The City is currently studying the reconfiguration of the intersection at Industrial, Saint-Francis and Saint-Jean-Baptiste boulevards. Happy Entrepreneurs Three entrepreneurs from the industrial park have praised the completed project. For CMP Advanced Mechanical Solutions’ President, Steve Zimmerman, the new Industrial Boulevard is now of world-class calibre. “CMP takes a lot of pride in the products they produce and takes a lot of pride in its image. Previously, when people were coming to Châteauguay, that image was not reflected. Today, the industrial park reflects a world-class image,” he commented. Mr. Zimmerman indicated that this new boulevard will help recruit another hundred employees which his growing company’s needs. Bianca Freeman, from Conteneurs Rouville, has already noticed a difference for her truckers. “There is a huge improvement in terms of traffic flow for our trucks,” she expressed. We hope to have a greater capacity for attracting new employees. It’s really enticing to see such greenery and the multifunctional bike path.” Jean-Martin Savoie, from Storcan, was also thrilled about the City’s investment. His company decided to remain in the industrial park and construct a new building there, despite having the opportunity to set up elsewhere. “We’re already seeing an impact in terms of visibility and for our employees,” he mentioned. A Section Under Analysis Industrial Boulevard was built in cement and covered in pavement. The city also took part in an insulation experiment with Laval University. A small section of the boulevard, close to Logiag, was made of cellular glass. “It will allow us to do this experiment with Université Laval and determine the insulating capacity of cellular glass,’ explained Mayor Routhier. (Translation Amanda Bennett)