Construction project : future Chabanel mechanical ventilation station
- Project summary
- Impact on customer trips
- Impact on local residents
- Learn more about the project
- Onglet 5
Project summary
The rectifier station on Berri Street houses a mechanical ventilation station (MVS). This MVS has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced with a new dedicated building, the Chabanel MVS. The new equipment is necessary for us to meet metro ventilation standards between Sauvé and Crémazie stations.
The existing rectifier station will also be updated with a refurbished building envelope. Once completed, the exterior will be more visually appealing.
Duration of the work: October 11, 2022 to summer 2025
Description of the work: Expansion of existing rectifier station to integrate a new mechanical ventilation station
Métro impacts: No
Bus impacts: No
Impact on customer trips
This project has no impact on customer trips.
Impact on local residents
Worksite update - February 17, 2023
The installation of the noise wall, which is located along the west side of the worksite (near the alleyway) and partially along the north and south sides, will be finished soon. This work has caused some temporary obstructions to traffic in the alleyway. Once this step has been completed, traffic will be able to resume as normal.
Please note, however, that traffic in the alleyway will be restricted around the worksite until Hydro-Québec removes a utility pole in the spring of 2023. That said, enough space will remain for vehicles to drive through until the work is completed.
Start of surface excavation
Starting the week of February 20, excavation work will begin on the site. Excavating the overburden - the surface layer of the soil - will be done using power shovels.
This step of the work could generate noise around the area, primarily because of the power shovel and the trucks needed to transport the excavated soil off site. The noise wall, which will be installed by then, will help limit the noise.
Traffic
The trucks needed to transport the excavated soil off site will be located on Berri Street, within the fenced-off area, so as not to obstruct vehicle traffic.
Dust
Anti-dust sheets have been installed on the worksite partitions, and trucks will be cleaned before leaving the site to reduce the spread of dust.
Schedule
Work will be conducted during the hours authorized by the borough, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays.
Other work in progress
Over the next few weeks, overnight preparatory work related to the Chabanel MVS will take place in the métro tunnel several metres below Berri Street. This is happening at night so that it can be done outside of the métro’s hours of operation. Since the work is taking place several metres below ground, there should be very little impact on residents living near the Chabanel MVS.
Impact on traffic
Berri Street:
There is a worksite on Berri near Chabanel. One southbound lane will remain open at all times in this area.
The bike path will remain in its current location, along the west curb of Berri.
Some parking spaces on Berri are blocked off near the worksite. As such, parking is prohibited on both sides of the street across from the worksite.
Chabanel Street:
There is a worksite storage area on the south side of Chabanel between Lajeunesse and Berri.
During the work, Chabanel will be a westbound one-way street between Lajeunesse and Berri, and curbside parking on Chabanel will be blocked off in this area.
At the Berri and Chabanel intersection, a portion of the northeast sidewalk will be blocked during the work. Pedestrians can use the west sidewalk in this area.
Please note that the work will at no time block pedestrian access to homes.
This type of construction work requires major excavation. This may cause noise, vibrations and dust. The worksite will partially block Berri Street near the intersection with Chabanel Street. The alleyway between Lajeunesse and Berri will remain open.
To reduce the negative impact on residents, we will implement mitigation measures that are specific to the worksite and to each stage of the work. For example, we will favour the use of electric equipment, which generally emits less dust and noise than other types. Construction work will be limited to the times of day allowed by municipal by-laws, and local access to Berri Street will be maintained at all times. Work will begin in October 2022 and will take about three years to complete.
Once the work is complete, the mechanical ventilation station will comply with all City of Montréal noise by-laws. Huge noise suppressors will mitigate the noise from the fans, installed below ground level, to ensure quiet for residents living nearby. The noise will not exceed 50 decibels, a level comparable to that of a household dishwasher.
The Chabanel MVS project construction contractor is responsible for removing snow from the worksite itself and from the sidewalk on the east side of Berri Street in front of the worksite. The borough being reponsible for snow removal for the sidewalks and streets, we have contacted them to ensure that our worksite does not interfere with these activities.
We have also coordinated with the private snow removal company hired by residents for the alleyway to ensure that snow removal can be done as usual during the work.
The alleyway will remain accessible to residents and cars during the work. However, due to the nature of the work and the location of the site, occasional obstructions will be necessary in the alleyway next to the worksite when the project begins. The alleyway traffic could be temporarily restricted or blocked for certain work - for example, asphalt removal, pile installation and anti-noise wall construction. These temporary traffic restrictions will be in place during the worksite’s active hours only and are necessary to ensure the safety of all while there are cranes in operation.
For now, blasting isn’t planned. Should the contractor decide to use this method in the next phase of the work, additional information will be sent to inform residents.
Work will mainly be carried out during the week, within the hours authorized by the borough, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. From time to time, we could work outside the usual hours, if necessary. For example, this could be the case for concrete pouring, which cannot be paused halfway. Weekend work might also be performed to make up for delays.
The contractor is responsible for the waste collection of residences near the worksite. They will return your containers to the front of your home after collection. Remember to properly label your container with your address.
We care about the quality of life of residents living close to our facilities. Rest assured that we will take all measures necessary to keep the work’s impact on your activities to a minimum.
Learn more about the project
A mechanical ventilation station is an infrastructure located between two métro stations that is equipped with two fans designed to extract hot air from the métro network through inlets fitted with air vents. Ventilation stations built for the original métro network extract around 60,000 cubic feet of air per minute, while the new ventilation systems extract around 240,000 cubic feet per minute. Huge noise suppressors mitigate the noise from these fans to ensure quiet for residents living close to a ventilation station.
Mechanical ventilation stations serve three essential purposes:
Comfort ventilation
Regulates the ambient temperature and supplies fresh air for transit users by exchanging air from the outside with air inside the métro network.
Night-time ventilation
Ensures a supply of fresh air for night workers carrying out routine maintenance.
Emergency ventilation
In the event of an incident, controls smoke and provides a safe evacuation route for passengers via the nearest métro station and ensures unobstructed access for emergency first responders.
Let's chat
A virtual information session was held on September 13, 2022
Contenu de l'onglet 5
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The project in images
Models of the existing building (left), which will be updated and renovated, and of the
projected expansion (right), including the new Chabanel mechanical ventilation station.
The architectural designs shown here are subject to change.
This work is made possible through funding from the Ministère des Transports du Québec.