This major Montreal street is losing its car-free summer—while a new pedestrian zone opens in Villeray

After four summers as a pedestrian-only destination, a stretch of this major street in Montreal will reopen to vehicle traffic this season.

While almost 7 kilometres of streets will be car-free this summer, the City of Montreal announced that ongoing construction near the Berri-UQAM Station made it necessary to keep the corridor accessible for emergency vehicles—particularly ambulances heading to the CHUM.

Read: Guide to Montreal's best neighbourhoods

Which Montreal street is losing its car-free status?

Last year, parts of St-Denis Street and de Castelnau Street East were pedestrianized, but the city has opted against blocking car access to those streets this year.

As per a report by CTV News, the mayor’s office acknowledged the significant disruption caused by the construction work, but said Saint-Denis remains a critical emergency route.

To help offset the impact on businesses, the city said two temporary pedestrianization events will still take place this summer, including the Festival Ludique International de Montréal in July.

What streets are pedestrian-only this summer?

The Montreal 2026 pedestrian streets schedule (dates and locations) is as follows:

Ste-Catherine St. E. (Ville-Marie)
Between St-Hubert St. and Papineau Ave.
May 15 – Oct. 12, 2026

Bernard Ave. (Outremont)
Between Wiseman Ave. and Bloomfield Ave.
May 23 – Sept. 20, 2026

Mont-Royal Ave. (Plateau-Mont-Royal)
St-Laurent Blvd. to Resther St.
May 28 – Oct. 12, 2026

Resther St. to de Lorimier Ave.
May 28 – Sept. 7, 2026

Wellington St. (Verdun)
Between 6th Ave. and Régina St.
June 15 – Sept. 14, 2026

Duluth Ave. (Plateau-Mont-Royal)
Between St-Laurent Blvd. and St-Hubert St.
June 18 – Oct. 12, 2026

Villeray St. (Villeray–St-Michel–Parc-Extension)
From the alley between de Gaspé and Henri-Julien Aves. to Papineau Ave.
June 18 – Aug. 17, 2026

Ontario St. E. (Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve)
Between Pie-IX Blvd. and Darling St.
June 20 – Sept. 14, 2026

For more information about the CTV News report, click here.

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