Cyclists, take note: Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is closing for repaving work

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Meanwhile, e-scooters can be rented in Parc Jean-Drapeau as part of a pilot project that started on July 1.

Published Jul 07, 2023  •  2 minute read

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Starting Monday, Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, the racetrack used for the annual Formula One race, will be closed for repaving work until Sept. 1. It will reopen for the Montreal Marathon and then close again for two months, from Sept. 25 to Nov. 25. No cars or bikes will be allowed on the track while the work is being done.

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The city approved a $16.8-million project to repave the track, improve its lighting and make it safer for motorists and cyclists when it reopens fully in April 2024. The track will also respond to the norms set by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.

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About 200,000 cyclists use the track each year.

Despite the racetrack being closed, Parc Jean-Drapeau, on which it is located, has a new mode of transport available for rent to all Montrealers.

E-scooters, which were the subject of a failed pilot project by the city in 2019, are permitted throughout the park for another pilot project, which started on July 1. Those wishing to take part must download the app by the scooter-rental company Bird.

The scooters can only be used in designated zones, and users must be over 18 and wear helmets. They are available between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Maximum allowable speeds are 20 kilometres per hour, and 10 kilometres per hour in specified slow zones.

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There are 200 scooters in 15 stations located in the park. They can be unlocked with a helmet included for a base price of $1.15, and cost 42 cents per minute to operate.

The city will also begin a $12.9-million project to restore the Grande Poudrière’s ponds. Located on Île Ste-Hélène, the ponds were first developed by landscape architect Frederick Gage Todd in the 1930s and then updated from 1950 to 1960. The ponds were part of the original defence system used by the military stationed in the 1800s on Île Ste-Hélène and are near an artificial lake that was dug in the late 1840s.

The work will involve:

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The city will also perform restoration work on the old Jamaica pavilion from Expo 67. Located in the Floralies Gardens sector of Île Notre-Dame, the pavilion is mostly used as a reception hall to be rented out by groups. The work by the firm Arthier will cost $2.5 million. It involves repairing the roof and exterior walls, updating the structure’s electricity and plumbing, renovating the kitchens and bar, as well as the building’s landscaping. The project will also render the building universally accessible.

Waterfronts, tree canopies, and green urban bridges: A closer look at how Montreal wants to transform Jean-Drapeau Park (PHOTOS)

By 2030, there will be fewer cars but more green space in Parc Jean-Drapeau

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