[franktko]

Originally Posted by matthew6

Didn't Drapeau want to turn this into an expressway?

He did. There were plans to destroy the Marché Bonsecours!

As construction began on the Metropolitan Autoroute (A-40) across the spine of the island, the location of the "East-West Expressway" - as it was called originally in planning reports - remained mired in controversy. Under the original plan announced on March 24, 1960, the six-lane expressway was to be elevated along the CN right-of-way as it is today from the Turcot interchange (the junction of A-720, A-20, and A-15) to Guy Street. However, instead of tunneling under downtown as it does today, the expressway was to continue along a viaduct toward Rue de la Commune and the waterfront. One controversial part of the plan called for the demolition of historic Marche Bonsecours, creating a new urban marketplace instead underneath of the piers of the elevated roadway.

Preservation groups fought the proposed expressway out of fears that it would decimate the historic old city (Vieux-Montreal)--the plan would have eliminated 40% of the old city--while officials from the Port of Montreal expressed concern that the piers of the elevated highway would interfere with port operations. Despite Drapeau's desires, the waterfront route was rejected in favor of an inland route that was to be built below grade through downtown. On April 9, 1964, the city reached an agreement with the Ministère de la Voirie du Québec (MVQ) on the route of the expressway from the Turcot interchange (with the Decarie Expressway / A-15) to the Lafontaine Autoroute (A-25) at Souligny Avenue. It was conceived as an important link in Autoroute 20, the main east-west autoroute through Quebec.

Source: http://www.montrealroads.com/roads/A-720/