Hell on roads to continue for another year
When will driving conditions get any better? Maybe 2018
There’s no way to sugar-coat this: 2016 was hell on the roads, and 2017 could be even worse, as all the major roadwork in the centre of the city is expected to continue.
The year looks like it will hold many of the same frustrations for drivers, with construction projects on the Ville-Marie Expressway, the Turcot Interchange and the Bonaventure Expressway expected to continue throughout the year. New projects are set to begin, namely the much-delayed reconstruction of the Dorval Interchange. Some major roadblocks could be cleared up by the end of the year, so perhaps 2018 will be the year driving conditions improve in Montreal. The good news: It seems like more people are opting for public transit, since traffic planners have noticed fewer cars on the roads than they expected.
Here’s what to look out for on the major urban thoroughfares this year.
TURCOT INTERCHANGE
Since it began in the summer of 2015, the $3.7-billion reconstruction of the Turcot Interchange has been a major headache for motorists in the West End. That pain got worse at the end of 2016 when two entrance ramps leading to the eastbound Ville-Marie Expressway were reduced to one lane each this fall, and the roadway itself was then reduced to two lanes from four up to Guy St. That caused traffic backlogs on both the Décarie Expressway and the eastbound Highway 20. The headaches continue through 2017 and beyond, as the work on demolishing the old eastbound Ville-Marie and rebuilding the new one is expected to last between a year and 18 months. After that, the westbound expressway will likely see similar lane reductions for another 12 to 18 months. The Turcot project is expected to be completed by 2020.
CHAMPLAIN BRIDGE
With the installation of reinforcing modular trusses now 90 per cent complete, there will probably be fewer bridge closures in the coming year. However, work on the new bridge, still on schedule to be finished by the end of 2018, could cause some disruptions as that project kicks into high gear.
MERCIER BRIDGE
A bright spot for 2017: It will be the first year in the last eight that the bridge will remain completely open throughout the summer. The bridge authority had closed the bridge for up to eight weeks each summer to complete a replacement of the bridge’s deck.
ÎLE-AUX-TOURTES BRIDGE
With work on the eastbound side completed late last month, crews are beginning work Monday to reinforce three pillars of the westbound side of the bridge, set to be completed by spring. For the duration of the work, the westbound side of the bridge at the island’s western tip will be reduced to two lanes except during the commute home between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., when three lanes will be available. The lanes will be reduced in width, and trucks will be barred from the right lane. Transport Quebec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun said more work is planned after this project is completed, but she said because it’s still in the planning phase, it’s too soon to say whether lane reductions will continue.
JACQUES CARTIER BRIDGE
There could be some closures for a few hours, likely overnight, as crews complete the $39.5-million project to light up the bridge.
DORVAL INTERCHANGE
Those ramps to nowhere are going to get to their final destinations at the end of 2017, Transport Quebec has promised, but that could mean traffic disruptions on Highway 20. The overpasses near Highway 20 and the Côte-de-Liesse expressway were part of a plan to build a direct route linking Highway 20 to the airport. However, legal battles with CN, CP and the owners of two hotels in the area stalled the project. The Transport Quebec website said the project resumed at the end of November and the ramps could be completed by next November. The entire project is set to wrap up by 2019.
OTHER ROADWORK EXPECTED TO CAUSE DELAYS
Disruptions in the downtown area could be caused by the rebuilding of the Bonaventure Expressway — to bring it to ground level at the entrance to downtown Montreal — and the covering of the Ville-Marie Expressway, both set to be completed at the end of the year. Traffic on Côte-St-Luc Rd. is likely to be disrupted starting next spring as the city replaces the road surface from Décarie Blvd. to Bonavista Ave.