Construction/renovation without excavation: Musset between Bélair and Jean-Talon

Musset Street residents between Bélair and Jean-Talon can expect construction activity this spring, with Les Goudrons du Québec Inc. scheduled to begin renovation work on April 30, 2026. The City of Montreal has issued permits for the project, which will run through May 8 — a mercifully brief eight-day window that avoids the summer patio season. The work is classified as "construction/rénovation sans excavation," meaning no major digging or underground disruption. This typically involves surface-level improvements like resurfacing, line painting, or minor infrastructure updates that don't require tearing up the street entirely. For a neighborhood that's seen its share of orange cone invasions, this represents the lighter end of the construction spectrum. The timing suggests the city is targeting this stretch of Musset for spring maintenance before the heavier summer construction season kicks into gear. Les Goudrons du Québec Inc., the contractor handling the project, specializes in asphalt and road surface work throughout the province. Their involvement points to likely pavement improvements or road surface restoration. For West Island commuters who use Musset as a connector route, the impact should be manageable given the no-excavation nature of the work. However, anyone with regular travel patterns through this corridor will want to build in extra time or scout alternate routes during the construction window. The project's eight-day duration suggests the city learned something from previous construction debacles that stretched for months. Local businesses along this stretch of Musset will likely see some disruption to foot traffic and parking availability, though the surface-level nature of the work should keep storefronts accessible. Residents in the immediate area should expect the usual construction symphony of machinery and traffic diversions, but nothing approaching the scale of major infrastructure overhauls. The permit details, as reported by the City of Montreal, show the work beginning at 8 PM on April 30 and wrapping up by 8 PM on May 8, 2026. This schedule suggests some overnight or extended-hour work to minimize daytime traffic disruption. The project represents Montreal's ongoing effort to maintain its street infrastructure before problems require more extensive — and expensive — repairs. While any construction brings inconvenience, Musset residents should count themselves lucky: eight days of surface work beats eight months of excavation. Now if only we could get Les Goudrons to tackle some of the lunar landscapes masquerading as streets elsewhere in the city.