To The Editor,
For years, we have been asking our municipality for repairs to Montée Robert. For years, this road has been ignored by the municipality but well used. This road links Highway 148 and 344. It’s not only a cross-road between the two highways, but is close to an exit for Autoroute 50 and is used by many residents from different areas of Brownsburg-Chatham and other municipalities. I have been told by a gentleman that when the Autoroute 50 was built, the Ministry of Transport made promises to repair this road, as it was that ministry which destroyed it. There are pictures of the road before and after from years ago. We had a gravel pit on the Montée and now another gravel pit is opened. For years, the trucks and semi-trailers have used our road. In the past month, semi-trailers have been up and down the road every 10 minutes, transporting gravel. I am personally not upset with people making money from gravel. Lachute and the area around it are growing and we are happy.
We have farmers on the road that need to use this road. We have local traffic. We have ambulances and fire trucks that have had problems on this road to reach their destinations to help those who need them. We had the ambulance here last year on three different dates for my husband. The drivers have all said they send complaints every time they have to use this road.
Last Friday, we went out to an appointment in the morning and returned to find access to our road blocked with cement blocks. We then had to return home on a road that had been closed by the municipality for the last few years. When we got home, we found a message on our answering machine telling us that the road was closed.
We have concerns. The road is now closed for undetermined period. The municipality stated in early spring that it had money to do repairs for this road. So where is it? We had ditches done on this road a few years ago when everyone laughed and asked why. Minutes count for the ambulances, fire trucks and police. This Montée is a fast way to get to other areas of Brownsburg-Chatham and other municipalities. What are we to do now? Many of us are concerned about this situation, which has been ongoing for years.
Something must be done.
Doreen Graham,
Chemin de Montée Robert
