Here are 5 construction sites to avoid in Montreal this fall

Montreal has, once again, been having an "orange cone summer" — and it's not just a phase. 

Provincial and city officials said Thursday there will be just as many construction projects on the city's streets this autumn. 

That's right. There were 51 major construction sites in the Montreal area this summer and there will be the same amount in the fall as well. 

That's not to say that none of the 51 construction sites concluded work this summer. Five of them did. But five new ones sprang up to replace them. 

City spokesperson Philippe Sabourin tried to give some encouragement to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists frustrated by the ceaseless maze of orange cones. The work, he said, is paying off. 

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Now, 46 per cent of local streets are deemed to be in good shape, compared to 38 per cent at the last count, and the number of arterial roads considered in "bad shape" has declined from 38 to 24 per cent. 

"The work gives results," he said at a morning news conference, where he and Louis-André Bertrand, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport, listed off every one of the 51 construction sites that will give Montreal drivers headaches this fall. 

Drivers are well-acquainted with most of those closures, Sabourin said, because work has been going on there all summer — sometimes longer. 

But there will be some new construction in the fall that will lead to some frustration. Plan ahead, or better yet, take public transit or cycle, Bertrand and Sabourin urged. 

"When you're stuck in traffic, you're going to wish you planned," Bertrand said. 

So, here are details about the five new construction plans that you'll want to watch out for in autumn. If you're in doubt, check quebec511.info ahead of your travel or consult the Mobilité Montreal website. 

The details of these closures will be announced in more detail as the closures approach.

The 40

Highway 40 in Senneville and Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue will be a mess every weekend for the next four weekends. 

It often is — because of work that has closed lanes in both directions at the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge. 

But work on the highway's westbound lanes near Pine Street, just east of the bridge, will see the entire highway blocked off for the next four weekends. 

That means that for the last weekend of August and the first three in September, drivers taking the 40 toward Hudson or Ottawa will be funnelled onto the service road, according to Bertrand.

It is likely to cause significant traffic jams and Bertrand flagged it as the number one problematic construction site to be aware of this fall. 

Highway 20 on Thanksgiving weekend

It will be impossible to take Highway 20 eastbound (toward downtown) on Thanksgiving weekend, Oct. 7, 8 and 9. The highway will be closed at the Saint-Pierre interchange while work is underway to repair said interchange. 

Downtown

There are two new construction sites in and around downtown Montreal this fall: 

Ste-Catherine Street will be closed between Peel and Mansfield streets for infrastructure work. 

William Street will be partially closed between de la Montagne and Guy streets for work on the city's water conduit system. 

Highway 13

The Transport Ministry is doing work on the Côte-Vertu overpass at Highway 13, which will lead to lane closures on Côte-Vertu Boulevard and nighttime and weekend closures of the highway itself. The work is expected to last into November.

Candiac

The Transport Ministry is repairing the ramp between Highway 15 and Highway 930, in Candiac, which will lead to a number of closures and force people to find another way to get on to Highway 15 in the area. That work has already started and will last until sometime next year, although there will be a pause in the wintertime.

The airport

Although not a new construction site, the area around Trudeau International Airport could be difficult in the early morning hours next week. Bertrand warned travellers who have early flights to leave themselves extra travel time to get there because, from Aug. 27 to 31, the ramps leading from Highway 20 toward the airport will be closed overnight, opening only at 5 a.m.