Brace for a bad orange-cone season:
Quebec is putting even more money into road repair in Montreal this year.
Brace yourself for a difficult orange-cone season.
Quebec will spend $586 million on provincial roads on Montreal Island in 2012-13, up from $444 million the previous year, Transport Minister Pierre Moreau says.
And that does not include repair work on the Mercier Bridge, the details of which Quebec will disclose Monday.
Or repairs to the federal Champlain Bridge, which Ottawa will announce soon. Or the city of Montreal’s plan for its roadwork, expected in the coming weeks.
Friday’s announcement focused solely on provincial roads, with a detailed list of projects provided only for Montreal Island.
Across Quebec, just over $3.9 billion will be spent on provincial roadways, about the same as in 2011-12.
Last year, traffic jams caused by incessant roadwork sparked anger over the lack of co-ordination among authorities. Many also complained that the public was not given enough advance notice of road closures.
Moreau said Transport Quebec learned its lesson.
His department is working closely with public transit agencies to get more drivers to leave cars at home.
It is also now co-ordinating provincial work with that of Montreal and the federal agency responsible for bridges, he said.
Moreau said Quebec will give other authorities oneweek notice before it starts on major work likely to cause congestion.
For less disruptive work, it will give at least a few days’ notice.
But Moreau said inconveniences are inevitable.
“It’s impossible to do this much work and not create obstacles to traffic fluidity,” he said. “All reasonable people should understand that.”
But he noted advance warning can’t always be provided. In December, for example, an inspection revealed structural problems in the Lafontaine Tunnel, compelling Quebec to close the tunnel and leading to gridlock in Montreal.
Moreau said Quebec did not spend enough on road maintenance and upgrades in the 1990s and must now catch up.
Between 1994 and 2002, Quebec spent an average $700 million annually on provincial roads. The average between 2003 and 2013 will be $2.2 billion annually, Moreau said.
The fact that spending on Montreal Island provincial road infrastructure will increase by 32 per cent this year does not mean traffic will be 32 per cent worse, he added.
Though spending will rise in Montreal, drivers will con- tend with fewer individual construction sites – 41, compared to 53 last year.
The work will include almost $300 million on the Turcot Interchange alone – $58 million repairing and maintaining current structures and $237 million to start work on the new Turcot.
Quebec is spending $3 billion replacing the Turcot and nearby interchanges, west of downtown Montreal.
In 2012, preparatory work will be done for the new Turcot and construction will begin on some structures. But Moreau said the work is expected to have little impact on traffic because much of it will be done in the empty Turcot Yards.
The new Turcot is to be completed in 2018.
The plan announced friday includes work on the Décarie Interchange and the Metropolitan (Highway 40), as well as on the Dorval Interchange.
On the West Island, Quebec will reinforce the Île aux Tourtes Bridge and rebuild the concrete roadbed of Highway 40, between the bridge and St. Charles Blvd.
On the South Shore, Moreau said Highway 30 will be completed by December. That will cut the number of trucks that must now use the Metropolitan, the Turcot and the Champlain Bridge, he said.
Quebec says Highway 30 will help 750 to 1,500 trucks avoid Montreal roads.
Moreau said motorists should take some comfort in the fact that all the roadwork they’re enduring is improving infrastructure.
In 2011, Transport Quebec deemed 76 per cent of Quebec provincial roads to be in “good condition.” That was up from 72 per cent in 2010.
As for road structures such as overpasses and bridges, Quebec said 68 per cent were in good condition last year, up from 66 per cent in 2010.
As for Montreal Island, the condition of infrastructure is better than elsewhere, Moreau said – 90 per cent of roadways and 69 per cent of structures are in good condition.
When reporters expressed skepticism, Moreau said: “When you invest $4 billion per year, it will have a positive effect.”
The Alliance pour le financement des transports collectifs noted that of the $4 billion to be spent in 2012-13, more than $700 million will go to new roads.
Instead of expanding the road network, the coalition of environmental, transit and other groups said Quebec should repair current road infrastructure and boost funding to public transit.