Place-Saint-Henri

Phase 2: January 2021 until end of work

• One lane on Saint-Jacques will be closed to traffic near the north entrance.
• Place-Saint-Henri will become one-way going south between Saint-Jacques and Notre-Dame.

Any construction work likely to generate noise will generally be scheduled between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. In accordance with municipal by-laws, some work may continue over weekends to keep the construction on schedule. Also, some work absolutely must be done outside of métro service hours and may be carried out at night

Start of bedrock excavation work

In early June 2021, we will start excavating the bedrock. This work will serve to dig two vertical elevator shafts, each 15 metres deep. Based on the current schedule, the work will continue until early 2022.

The work will begin at the site south of Saint-Jacques Street. Then, once the retaining walls are installed and ground excavation is completed at the north site, we will continue excavation at both sites simultaneously.

Using a drilling rig, we will make holes in the bedrock, which will then be fractured using a hydraulic drill. This step will cause noise, but it will be dampened by the fact that we will be working five metres underground instead of at street level. Vibrations may also be felt near the worksite.

Could buildings near the worksite be damaged during the excavation work?

The required excavation work will generate vibrations that may be felt by residents near the worksite. An independent consulting firmwas hired  to survey (mainly photograph) all buildings around the worksite. These inspections will document the condition of the buildings before and after construction. In the unlikely event that any damage is reported, an expert opinion could help to determine whether the damage is the result of the vibrations produced by the work site. Property owners affected by this measure will be notified accordingly.

Anti-dust sheets will be installed on all the worksite partitions to limit dust dispersal.

We are making progress at the Place-Saint-Henri station worksite. The two excavation areas, located north and south of Saint-Jacques, are well underway. Excavation is needed to build the two new station entrance buildings and the elevator shafts. At the same time as this work, we are also concreting some of the walls and the floor of the new entrance buildings.

Over the next few months, we will continue the excavation and the concrete work. Once these steps are completed, we will start building the new entrance buildings, install the two elevators and set up all the electrical equipment needed for the elevators to function in the mechanical rooms.

South side

We have finished installing the retaining walls and have nearly completed the soil excavation in this area. We will soon start digging the elevator shaft for the new entrance building. Over the next few weeks, we will also finish relocating the aqueduct and sewer conduits west of the site.

North side

Preparatory work is progressing quickly on the north side. Our various external partners have relocated the underground telecommunications cables, but there is still some work to be done, including the relocation of a sewer conduit. Once this step is complete, we will begin excavation and then install the retaining walls.

Relocation of underground infrastructure

As soon as we break ground, the first step is to relocate various underground infrastructure, such as conduits for power, natural gas, telecommunications and electrical cables, to a safe area.

Retaining walls, excavation and concrete work

Next, temporary walls must be installed to support the ground as we dig deeper and deeper into the excavation zone. After, we can begin excavating and breaking up the rock bed using a method to be decided later (either micro-blasting or mechanical equipment). We will then demolish the existing station entrances as they will be replaced by new above-ground entrance buildings. Finally, we will perform concrete work to construct the new entrance building foundations, corridors leading to the elevators, elevator mechanical rooms and elevator shafts.

Construction

Once the concrete work is finished, we will build the new entrance buildings, install the elevators in the shafts and set up all their electrical equipment in the mechanical rooms.

Exterior work

Refurbishment of Place-Saint-Henri will begin next, including earthmoving and urban furniture installation.

Electrical equipment testing

Finally, we will conduct various tests to ensure that the elevators are working properly.

• Place-Saint-Henri station was designed by architect Jean-Louis Lalonde and designer Julien Hébert, who is better known for creating the world-renowned logo of the 1967 Universal Exposition.
• The station was originally going to be called Les Tanneries, after the name given to the neighbourhood in the 18th century due to its large number of leather tanneries.
• The station’s name instead pays homage to Place Saint-Henri, more of a small street than a real public square. The neighbourhood first became known as Saint-Henri in 1810, when a chapel of the same name was established there.