The Thanksgiving long weekend usually brings a few extra hours of sleep, a big family dinner and maybe a scenic drive to see the autumn leaves. This year, though, anyone hoping to get around Montreal by car might want to rethink the plan, at least for part of the weekend.
The 34th edition of the Marathon Beneva de Montréal runs from Friday, October 9 to Sunday, October 11, and thousands of runners are about to take over a big chunk of the city. That means street closures, parking restrictions and dozens of bus detours across several neighbourhoods.
Saturday is fairly contained to the east end, but Sunday is when things get complicated. The full marathon and half-marathon routes wind through a long list of neighbourhoods, and some streets won’t reopen until mid-afternoon.
Here’s what to know before you get behind the wheel.
Saturday, October 10
Saturday morning is reserved for the shorter races, including the 1 km, 5 km and 10 km events. Runners will start on Sherbrooke Street near the Olympic Park and finish at Maisonneuve Park.
Along the way, the routes will use Sherbrooke Street East, Rosemont Boulevard and Viau Boulevard, as well as residential streets around Louisiane Park and Joseph-Paré Park. That includes 31st, 35th, 41st, 43rd and 44th avenues, plus Beaubien, de Bellechasse and Saint-Zotique streets.
Closures will start at 6:45 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 7:45 a.m. or 8:45 a.m., depending on the section. Streets will gradually reopen between 11 a.m. and 12:35 p.m.
If you live outside the east end, Saturday probably won’t affect you much. The MUHC, for example, says the Saturday races won’t affect access to any of its sites.
Sunday, October 11
The marathon and half-marathon start at Espace 67 on Île Sainte-Hélène and finish at Maisonneuve Park. In between, runners will cover a lot of ground.
The route runs from Old Montreal all the way up to the north end of the island, passing through the Plateau, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and Ahuntsic-Cartierville. Expect closures on Notre-Dame, de la Commune, Berri, Rachel East, Saint-Denis, Saint-Laurent, Saint-Hubert, Beaubien East and Saint-Joseph East, along with the area around Gouin Boulevard.
The first closures begin at 6:30 a.m., and some of the final stretches of the route won’t reopen until 3:25 p.m.
Saint-Laurent Boulevard is the one most likely to cause headaches. According to the MUHC, it will be closed from Saint-Joseph Avenue all the way to the Rivière des Prairies. Drivers will still be able to cross east-west in several spots, including the Metropolitan Expressway, the Van Horne viaduct, des Carrières Street and the Ville-Marie Expressway farther south.
There will also be closures near Place Dupuis from 6:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. on the following stretches:
- Cherrier Street, from La Fontaine Park to Berri Street
- Berri Street, from Cherrier Street to Ontario Street
- Ontario Street, to Atateken Street
- Atateken Street, to Viger Street
Ahuntsic residents, this part’s for you
If you live in the section of Ahuntsic between Saint-Hubert Street and Parc-Stanley Avenue near Gouin Boulevard, you’ll need to plan ahead. Cars won’t be able to get in or out of the area while the route is closed.
Organizers suggest parking your car outside the zone before Sunday morning if you know you’ll need it.
Taking the metro is probably your best bet
If you’re heading to the races or just trying to get across town, the metro is going to be a lot less stressful than driving.
For Saturday’s races, the STM recommends Pie-IX station for both the start and finish. On Sunday, Jean-Drapeau is the closest station to the start line and Pie-IX is best for the finish. Expect Jean-Drapeau, Pie-IX and Viau stations to be busier than usual.
If you do drive, Waze will be updated with the planned closures, so it’s worth checking before you leave. You can also find a full map of the closures in the organizers’ flyer.
STM bus detours on Saturday:
- 18 Beaubien: Detour from 8:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
- 136 Viau: Detour from 6:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 185 Sherbrooke: Possible detour from 3:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. if Sherbrooke Street is closed, though service should continue
- 197 Rosemont: Detour from 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 364 Sherbrooke / Joseph-Renaud: Possible detour from 3:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. if Sherbrooke Street is closed, though service should continue
STM bus routes cancelled on Sunday:
About 50 bus lines will be affected on Sunday. These routes will be cancelled for part of the day:
- 10 De Lorimier: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- 14 Atateken: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- 20 Crémazie / Marché Central: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 27 Saint-Joseph: 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- 47 Masson: 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- 55 Saint-Laurent: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- 94 D’Iberville: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- 777 Jean-Drapeau / Casino / Bonaventure: 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
STM bus detours on Sunday:
- 11 Parc-du-Mont-Royal: 6:30 a.m. to noon
- 13 Christophe-Colomb: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 18 Beaubien: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 24 Sherbrooke: 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- 29 Rachel: 6:30 a.m. to noon
- 31 Saint-Denis: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- 35 Griffintown: 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- 36 Monk: 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., eastbound only
- 45 Papineau: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- 50 Vieux-Montréal / Vieux-Port: 6:15 a.m. to noon, eastbound only
- 51 Édouard-Montpetit: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- 56 Saint-Hubert: 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- 67 Saint-Michel: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- 69 Henri-Bourassa: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 74 Bridge: 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., eastbound only
- 79 Gouin: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 92 Jean-Talon Ouest: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 93 Jean-Talon: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 97 Avenue-du-Mont-Royal: 6:30 a.m. to noon
- 100 Crémazie: 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 107 Verdun: 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- 119 Rockland: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 121 Sauvé / Côte-Vertu: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 125 Ontario: 6 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- 129 Côte-Sainte-Catherine: 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., northbound only
- 136 Viau: 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- 139 Pie-IX: 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- 140 Fleury: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 150 René-Lévesque: 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- 160 Barclay: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 164 Dudemaine: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 168 Cité-du-Havre: 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., northbound only
- 171 Henri-Bourassa: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 180 De Salaberry: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 185 Sherbrooke: Possible detour from 6:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. if Sherbrooke Street is closed, though service should continue
- 193 Jarry: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 197 Rosemont: 6:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at two points along the route
- 439 Express Pie-IX: 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- 711 Parc-du-Mont-Royal / Oratoire: 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
So if you’ve got Thanksgiving dinner plans on the other side of town on Sunday, give yourself some extra time. Or better yet, take the metro and let someone else worry about the traffic.
This story was inspired by the article “Tous les secteurs à éviter en voiture ce week-end à cause du Marathon Beneva de Montréal” which was originally published on Narcity.
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