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Montreal plans to install heated sidewalks, potential for snow-free runs

Montreal is moving ahead with plans to install underground hoses that will heat a 670m stretch of Ste-Catherine Street sidewalks.

Montreal Heated Sidewalks

A small portion of Montreal sidewalks may be snow-free in the near future.

Montreal is moving ahead with plans to install a 670m stretch of “garden-hose-sized tubes” beneath the sidewalks of Ste-Catherine Street in the downtown core. The plan was originally announced in 2015 with construction slated to begin in 2018. The hoses would be filled with water and glycol and warmed by an electric heater.

RELATED: Seven ways in which winter running is actually the best.

According to Global News, a second phase is in the works that could expand the project by as much as 2.2K. Phase one of the project, according to city spokeswoman Geneviève Dubé, will cost an estimated $26 million.

The sidewalks would be heated to approximately 3 C, warm enough that it would melt snow cover. Phase one covers Ste-Catherine Street between Mansfield and Bleury, according to a graphic in a CBC News story.

 

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Heated sidewalks, though costly, may reduce the need for snow-removal operations in the immediate area. A lack of snow-covered sidewalks could also reduce the need to salt the surface as a means of accommodating locals and visitors who use the route. For runners, that may mean a portion of the city where solid footing can be found in the midst of Canada’s intense winter weather.

To be fair, the downtown artery may not be the best place for runners but the implementation may lead to conversations for other city’s to adopt a similar system.

Interestingly, Holland, Mich. residents have enjoyed snow-free sidewalks for almost 30 years. According to the city’s website, “waste heat from power generation is captured to heat water, which is circulated through miles of tubing laid underneath the pavement and sidewalks, back to the Holland BPW power plant. The system can melt about one inch of snow per hour at 15-20 F.” That translates to 2.5 cm at -9 C.

According to Global News, Montreal officials have been researching the western Michigan town’s project, which spans approximately 8K.

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