There’s no doubt that road work can be a huge inconvenience to drivers, but many times businesses in the route of the work can suffer more, even causing some to have to close permanently. While many projects around the country have been navigating towards pre-fabricated and modular construction to reduce the time workers actually spend on site, a project in Canada will be opting for the giant inflatable tunnel method.
photo via KENVA
Designed by KANVA, an architecture firm in Montreal, the 46 feet (14m) wide and 36 feet (11m) high tunnel will serve to protect pedestrian traffic from the construction and the nearby buildings from dust and debris. The city’s main goal is to allow customers to get to the local business along Ste. Catherine St. in Montreal as safely and easily as possible, during construction, which begins in January 2018. The city is also ready to schedule entertainment within the $3.8 million tunnel to attract more visitors. While work beneath the road is taking place, the tunnel will be covering the construction work, but when the sidewalks are being worked on, the pedestrians will walk underneath the tunnel. No vehicles will be allowed on the road until the work is complete.
It’s definitely an unconventional idea, but it will be interesting to see how the construction workers like working under the roof and if it will actually improve business on the street.
In the midst of fierce discourse over the bipartisan infrastructure bill lies a unique opportunity for the United States.