Transport minister begs commuters to try public transit as fall roadwork approaches

With a spate of roadwork projects slated to get underway this fall, getting to downtown Montreal will be particularly difficult for commuters coming from points west.

Access to the Ville-Marie Expressway from Highway 20 will be down to one lane starting mid-October.

But that's not all: As of mid-November, the Ville-Marie eastbound from the Turcot Interchange to the tunnel will be down to two lanes for several months and will be completely off limits for 15 to 20 weekends. 

Drivers coming from Highway 20 and the Décarie Expressway will be redirected onto a two-lane detour route.

More problem areas

Those who opt for driving through Montreal to get from west to east will also run into issues, notably on René-Lévesque Boulevard, where Hydro-Québec is carrying out work on sections of the eastbound lanes, and on Sherbrooke Street, where the city is doing work that has it down to one lane in each direction.

Another problem area will be in the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough near the Metropolitan Highway.

Until November 2017, crews will carry out roadwork on Papineau Avenue between Jacques-Casault and Louvain streets and St-Michel Boulevard between Shaughnessy Boulevard and Jarry Street.

Weekend work on bridges

The Champlain and Mercier bridges will also be subject to major closures.

The Champlain Bridge will be closed for four weekends beginning in September. Southbound lanes of the bridge will be off limits for two weekends, and citybound lanes will be closed the other two weekends.

Transports Québec will start work on its section of the Mercier Bridge in October, meaning there will be lane closures on that bridge as well.

Also, starting in September, access to Highway 20 coming from the Mercier will be down to one lane.

Why all at once?

Transport Minister Jacques Daoust said many the projects were a long time coming.

When it comes to infrastructure that is nearing the end of its useful life like the Champlain Bridge, Daoust said he would prefer to build new roads over fixing the old ones, but the reality is the old roads are still needed and must be repaired.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said the focus is on building a sustainable network that will ultimately improve Montrealers' quality of life.

He bristled when asked why all the projects, including the covering of the Ville-Marie, now in progress, and the dismantling of the Bonaventure Expressway, had to be done at the same time.

"Of course, people aren't happy, but they understand that at the end of the day it's going to be a wonderful city, and it's a good investment," Coderre said.

"If people are mad, it's better they're mad [at] me because I'm doing something than if I wasn't doing anything."

Plan ahead, change your habits

Daoust implored drivers to "be a part of the solution" and try to use modes of transportation other than cars.

The Quebec 511 website will be continually updated with information to help commuters get around.

Mobilité Montréal, a committee made up of representatives from the transport ministry and from the cities of Montreal, Longueuil and Laval, pledged $46 million for measures to help ease the pain for commuters.

In order to encourage the use of public transit, hundreds of parking spaces will be added to lots in Montreal, Laval, Châteauguay and Brossard.

Another $17 million will go to the STM, which will add 130 trips during rush hour to 13 bus lines that serve the Angrignon and Lionel-Groulx Metro stations.

Other measures include:

• Increased service towards downtown for a number of South Shore bus lines.
• Increased service on the Metro's Green line during rush hour.

• A bus lane on the Bonaventure Expressway toward downtown.