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Under fire from opposition city councillors and Montreal’s downtown business association, Mayor Valérie Plante’s administration is denying that it has already decided to eliminate almost 500 parking spots on Ste-Catherine St.

When it announced Phase 1 of the Ste-Catherine revitalization in the spring, the Plante administration said parking would be removed between Bleury and Mansfield Sts. and one of the two traffic lanes would be dropped.

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The revamp of that 670-metre stretch, including the elimination of 140 parking spots, is scheduled to be completed in 2021.

On Monday, city council approved a contract to a consortium led by CIMA+ to study Phase 2 — the 1.7-kilometre stretch between Mansfield and Atwater Ave., where work would start after 2022.

The city document detailing the contract for a feasibility study says that “in addition to expanded sidewalks (with an average width of 6.5 metres), the city has opted for a single-lane configuration (6.2 metres) and the elimination of street parking” in Phase 1. “This scenario was developed with the idea of extending it to Phase 2 of the project.”