ROAD WARS:
City says it was blindsided by closing of Turcot ramps, baffled by planned detour.
Montreal says it was blindsided by a Transport Quebec plan to close two Turcot Interchange ramps and is angry over a misguided detour that could cause traffic chaos in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
“We’re asking Transport Quebec to put us in the loop, to tell us what’s going on,” said Aref Salem, city executive committee member responsible for transport.
“This is an interchange in the middle of the city, not in a potato field. ”
Transport Quebec did not respond to a request for comment from The Gazette.
The two ramps in question — scheduled to close Monday, until June — carry a total of 21,000 vehicles daily, including 2,100 cars per hour during morning rush hour.
Salem said the provincial department first told the city in early February that it would close the ramps, then on Feb. 17 said it would not close the ramps. Then, in midMarch, the city learned via a press release that the ramps would indeed close.
After complaints about poor communication, Transport Quebec in 2011 set up a committee — Mobilité Montréal — that includes department officials, municipalities, transit agencies and other interested parties.
To better inform the public and co-ordinate efforts, the committee is supposed to share information about coming roadwork.
Salem said the committee was not advised the Turcot work was going ahead.
The two ramps — being closed so they can be repaired and repaved — both start on Highway 15 north (from the Champlain Bridge).
One heads east on the VilleMarie Expressway, toward downtown. The other goes west on Highway 20, toward Trudeau Airport.
Transport Quebec is suggesting a detour: drivers should continue on Highway 15 north, exiting at Côte-StLuc Rd./Décarie Blvd. From there, they can double back to Highway 15 south, to reach
“We’re asking Transport Quebec to put us in the loop.” AREF SALEM, CITY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER
the Ville-Marie east and Highway 20 west.
But Côte-des-Neiges–N.D.G. borough Mayor Russell Copeman said the detour is “mindboggling” because it will obviously exacerbate traffic problems in N.D.G.
Traffic already backs up at Côte-St-Luc/Décarie, a problem spot that worsened when Transport Quebec closed a ramp from St-Jacques St. to the Ville-Marie Expressway east, Copeman said.
In addition, the corner is expected to be even more congested once the city begins sewer work that should close Sherbrooke St. eastbound at Décarie, beginning Monday.
“The mere suggestion that you bring 21,000 people who use those ramps to the corner of Côte-St-Luc/Décarie is ludicrous,” Copeman said.
Transport Quebec should instead tell drivers heading downtown to use the Bonaventure Expressway, he said.
The provincial department should pay for police officers that will be stationed at CôteSt-Luc/Décarie, starting Monday, to direct traffic, he said.
Communication problems were also cited by Marvin Rotrand, vice-chairman of the Société de transport de Montréal.
“At the Transport Quebec level, there’s often a lag in information,” he said. “I have sensed frustration from our planners. Dates have been moved forward and then moved back.”
Rotrand said a reserved bus lane should be in place on Sherbrooke, in early May, helping 13,000 daily bus users avoid traffic bottlenecks caused by roadwork.