Mercier Bridge to reopen Sept 6

Montreal's Mercier Bridge will reopen on September 6, said Quebec Transport Minister Sam Hamad.

The bridge was partially closed in June as a safety precaution after engineers found rust.

Ten steel gusset plates that hold together bridge beams were corroded, requiring immediate attention.

The closure had a dramatic effect on commuter traffic to and from the island.

At a news conference Friday, Hamad said barring any unforeseen events, the bridge would reopen September 6, following Labour Day.

Hamad's announcement came hours after the city of Montreal revealed its measures to ease congestion on the island.

Montreal traffic measures

On Friday morning, Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay unveiled new measures to address gridlock.

Proposed measures include postponing or delaying previously scheduled construction, and maintaining additional public transit service. 

The city will target five zones in an attempt to reduce congestion to and from the island, and within the city.

Specific measures include:

City centre

• Delay construction work on the Maisonneuve and Rachel Street bike paths.
• Delay construction projects on Parc Avenue.

Ville St-Laurent

• Scheduled repairs to the aqueducts along Lachapelle Boulevard are postponed until 2012, until road work on Laurentian Boulevard is finished.

Turcot Interchange

• The Saint-Jacques exit will reopen September 6.
• Road repairs on Saint-Patrick Street between the train tracks and the Thomas Keefer aqueduct are postponed until late September.
• Repairs on Thomas Keefer Street between Centre and Saint-Patrick Streets are rescheduled to weekends only.

St-Pierre Interchange

• Road work on Dollard Avenue is postponed.
• Repairs on local bike paths are postponed to October.

Sherbrooke Street East

• Paving work between Honoré-Beaugrand et Baldwin Streets is postponed to the fall.
• Paving work at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Street is postponed until 2012.
• Repairs at the intersection of Sherbrooke and Henri-Bourassa will be coordinated with construction on the Metropolitan Highway.

Traffic light synchronization

Traffic lights will be adjusted in the following construction zones:

1. Pie-IX, Henri-Bourassa West and Sherbrooke Street East.
2.  René-Lévesque Boulevard (by December 2012).
3. Crémazie Boulevard and Sherbrooke Street East (by December 2012).
4. On the Montreal approach to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.

Better information

• The city pledges to improve its construction work hotline (514-872-3777) and to update its website with construction work schedules.

More public transit

• Additional buses and metro cars added to Montreal's public transit system over the summer will be maintained throughout the fall.