The long weekend continues to mean significant congestion on several major highways in the greater Montreal area, while “significant disruption” is expected in several sectors due to work through Tuesday.
Posted at 11:23 am. Updated at 12:11 AM
A complete closure of westbound Highway 20 between Exit 63 and the entrance to 1st Avenue has been in place since Saturday morning and will continue until 5 a.m. Tuesday. A detour will be at exit 63, the 1st Avenue intersection, Richmond Street and Montreal-Toronto Boulevard.
But that’s not all: The ramp from Route 138 to Highway 20 will remain completely closed until Tuesday morning. “These are actually concrete repairs to the structure that need to be done at the level of the ramp, but since the highway runs under this ramp and there is a risk of materials falling, we didn’t have to make the decision to close everything for safety reasons .”, explains a spokesman for the Ministry of Transport, Martin Girard.
It must be said that earlier in the weekend the government warned that slowing down was expected “at the ramps of the Turcot interchange” westbound on Highway 20 through Tuesday.
On Saturday, driving from certain areas of Montreal took several hours to get to the airport. In particular, one exhausted family told TVA Nouvelles that their journey from L’Île-des-Sœurs, which normally took around twenty minutes, took more than 3 hours and 30 minutes. The bill: $216, compared to $50 in normal times.
“As afternoon and dinner approaches, there is more travel and more congestion in general,” says Mr Girard. “For people who don’t have to travel, you have to find another way. And if not, we really recommend leaving as soon as possible to make sure we arrive on the requested time frame,” he says.
The entrance to Highway 25 from Sherbrooke Street has also been closed southbound since Friday evening until Monday 5 a.m. Motorists will have to divert via De Boucherville, Hochelaga, Dickson or Souligny Est streets, creating a lot of through traffic in the area.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT AND SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
Several obstacles are to be expected over the long weekend.
In addition, Exit 4 of Highway 25, which leads to the Jacques Cartier Bridge and downtown Montreal, will also be closed until Monday morning. Further north, in Laval, Highway 13 is completely closed northbound between exit 15 and the entrance to Sainte-Rose Boulevard until 6 a.m. Monday. The motorway feeder serves as a diversion.
A harbinger of what is yet to come
With the start of summer, obstacles on the motorway network are likely to increase in the coming weeks. For example, we already know that from May 23-29, the on-ramp from Hickmore Street to the eastbound Highway 520 byway will be completely closed.
These interventions are required as part of the reconstruction of the Highway 520 overpass over Hickmore Street. “The season has started. People can and should expect more closures every weekend,” warns Mr Girard.
Repair work will also begin on the concrete slab and pavement of the highway 440 roadway between Route 117 and Avenue Francis-Hughes, in Laval, beginning May 23 and “for a period of approximately 13 weeks” through the start of the school year in September . The project “aims to improve ride comfort on this highway,” Quebec says.
The government reminded on Sunday that only one lane is available on the Victoria Bridge, which connects Montreal to Saint-Lambert, from Tuesday to Thursday. In the direction of Montreal, the infrastructure can only be used between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., while in the direction of Saint-Lambert between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Ministry informs the population that on the occasion of National Patriots Day on Monday, May 22, there will be no morning and evening rush hours.