Fall in Montreal usually means back-to-school traffic, the return of regular commutes, and, without fail, a fresh wave of orange cones. This year is no exception.
This week, Mobilité Montréal released its list of major road construction projects set to disrupt traffic across the metropolitan area over the coming months, and there’s a lot on it.
In total, 42 major projects are planned this fall, including four new ones. Of the 52 projects announced back in the spring, 14 have already wrapped up, including bridge repairs and paving work on Highway 640 between Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac and Blainville, infrastructure work on Rue Saint-Denis near the CHUM, and roadwork on Route de l’Aéroport in Longueuil.
Thankfully, not all of these closures will hit at once. Mobilité Montréal says the disruptions are spread out over the coming months, with a lot of the work scheduled overnight or on weekends when traffic is lighter, and partner organizations coordinating to avoid shutting down multiple major routes at the same time.
The Southwest is the sector to watch
The Southwest part of the island is seeing some of the heaviest work this fall. Crews are active on the Victoria Bridge and its approaches on Rue Bridge, along with ongoing work on Highway 10 (Bonaventure). Occasional overnight closures are also planned on Route 136, which covers the Ville-Marie and Viger tunnels.
The Samuel-De Champlain Bridge is closing completely in the northbound direction for the entire weekend of August 28.
Downtown Montreal keeps its usual headaches
Several municipal projects continue downtown, including sewer rehabilitation on Rue Guy and infrastructure work near the Berri-UQAM metro station.
Central and East End projects are still underway
Further east and toward the centre of the island, the major Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel rehabilitation project continues, along with the Blue Line metro extension and repair work on the Papineau underpass, between Boulevard Rosemont and Rue Saint-Grégoire.
The UCI World Championships
On top of all the regular construction, Montreal is hosting the UCI Road World Championships this September, which comes with its own set of major closures.
Highway 10 (Bonaventure) will be completely closed toward downtown on September 19, 20, 21 and 22, from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Samuel-De Champlain Bridge will also close completely toward Montreal on the mornings of September 26 and 27.
Full closure maps for before and during the event are available through the event’s own planning tool and through Quebec 511.
To help manage the extra traffic, a special transit fare covering all modes will be available during the championships. On the two main competition days, September 21 and 22, a free park-and-ride lot will also be available at the Chevrier parking lot in Brossard, with free shuttles running to the REM’s Du Quartier station between 6 and 10 a.m. and again between 3:30 and 7 p.m.