Montreal-area drivers face major closures this long holiday weekend
Labour Day weekend closures include roads near Turcot Interchange, Champlain Bridge and the Bonaventure
It's Labour Day weekend, but that doesn't mean construction workers will get a break from their jobs.
Roadwork will continue, and some major highway ramps an interchanges will be closed from Friday evening until Tuesday 5 a.m..
Drivers will need to arm themselves with lots of patience, especially if they're commuting through the Turcot Interchange, on the Bonaventure Expressway or driving along the Champlain Bridge.
The Transport Ministry says long weekends are perfect for doing major work, because fewer people are on the roads.
"The long weekend, with the Monday off, gives the possibility to do the kind of work that takes more time to get done. So we use long weekends to do sometimes very major work," said Transports Québec spokesperson Martin Girard.
Highway 15 North
The 15 Northbound between Nuns' Island and the Turcot Interchange is a major hot spot to avoid this long weekend.
It will be closed from Exit 58, on Nuns' Island, to the entrance ramp at Gaétan-Laberge Boulevard on the island of Montreal until Tuesday morning.
Part of the 15 North will continue to be closed on the island of Montreal too. The northbound highway will be closed starting in the Southwest borough at Exit 62 (De La Vérendrye Boulevard) all the way to the Édouard-Montpetit entrance ramp on the Décarie Expressway.
Beyond that, the highway's entrance and exit ramps at Atwater will be closed as of Tuesday night Sept. 4 until the end of October.
New configuration starts after Labour Day
After the holiday, Tuesday's morning commute could also get tricky thanks to a new road configuration. Transports Québec asks that drivers on the 15 North pay attention to the new signage that will be in place around the Lachine Canal sector.
The Turcot Interchange
In the Turcot Interchange, the 15 North ramp for Highway 20 West is closed all weekend. So is the Highway 20 West ramp for the 15 North.
On the Ville-Marie Expressway, the 136 West ramp for the 15 North is also shut down.
The Bonaventure Expressway
Until Tuesday at 5 a.m., an exit ramp will be closed on the Bonaventure Expressway (Highway 10 West). Exit 2 (Pierre-Dupuy Ave. / Ch. des Moulins / Port de Montréal) will be off-limits.
The express lane, toward downtown Montreal, will also be inaccessible.
Highway 20
A portion of Highway 20 West will have reduced lanes. Two lanes will be available between the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Boulevard temporary entrance ramp until the Ville-Saint-Pierre Interchange.
You will also not be able to take Exit 63 toward the Mercier Bridge; it will be closed.
Highway 13
The interchange at Highways 13 and 40 is also under construction. That road work will shut down the 13 North, between Exit 6 (Highway 40) and the entrance ramp for Highway 40 East.
Chemin Saint-François, which is a street near Highway 13 in the borough of Saint-Laurent, will also be closed.
Meanwhile, Highway 40 East will have reduced lanes, and also only one lane available on the service road, at the height of Highway 13.
More street closures in the Southwest
There will be several closures in the Southwest borough as well, including:
- Notre-Dame Street westbound, between Monk Boulevard and Côte-Saint-Paul Road.
- De La Vérendrye eastbound, between Galt Street and de l'Eglise Avenue.