Months of congestion anticipated around the Turcot interchange

Antoine Lacroix and
Matthew Payen

Thursday, 31 August, 2017 06:30

UPDATE
Thursday, 31 August, 2017 06:30

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Motorists in the Montreal region, who felt that the movement was already difficult to not have seen nothing yet as we enter the most important phase of the work of the Turcot interchange, and caps monsters are to be expected.

Over the next few weeks, several sections of the current interchange will be dismantled, including the junction between the A-15 north and the A-20 west in order to continue the replacement of the structure, resulting in traffic jams, anticipating already the ministry of Transportation of Quebec (MTQ).

Motorists will have to contend with dozens of deviations (see a few examples on the card), and a wait at peak hours might be important. For example, from mid-November, the 22,000 cars and 3,000 trucks per day travelling along the Champlain bridge to go to the west of the island will have to leave the highway and take detours on residential streets and industrial district of Verdun.

The puzzle will last months so that it dismantle also to the autoroute 720 west. The ministry of Transportation provides, in particular, closures of the motorway network in this sector for 20 to 25 weekends between November and the beginning of the summer of 2018.

Recommendations

The traffic around the Turcot interchange may be complicated because of the many workarounds will change the itinerary as the work advances, we learn in a document of the MTQ obtained by The Newspaper.

The spokesperson of CAA Quebec, Annie Gauthier, hope that the signs will be clear and announced in advance so that you do not that the drivers are wrong and engorge even further with the sector.

“It’s going to be a fall very busy where we will be breaking the habits of road users, promises Sarah Bensadoun, a spokesperson for the MTQ. It will be necessary to change the routes and times of travel. […] Already last year, it was a major impact, but here it reached a higher level. “

According to Ms. Bensadoun, public transport will be the best option. “It’s going to become a necessity, not a suggestion “, she argues.

“There are other obstacles which are to be specified in the coming weeks, with the dates of the timelines. “said Ms. Bensadoun.

Crucial step

A little more than 50 % of the work of the mégachantier of the Turcot interchange are completed. They started in 2011 and is expected to be completed in 2020. If the costs are met, they will need 3,67 billion $.

For its part, the Association du camionnage du Québec (ACQ) are also concerned about the financial consequences of such barriers.

“It’s going to have a major impact on our industry, laments Marc Cadieux, president and ceo of the CQI. This will be extremely expensive. We are expecting a good increase in transaction costs, to many headaches and a great loss of productivity. “

Stages-of-change of phase

September

• Transfer traffic highway 15 north (sector Of La Vérendrye)

• Modifying intersections (sector Of La Vérendrye)

• Closing A-15 north to A-20 west (approximately 8 weeks)

October

• Closure rue Saint-Rémi

• Partial closure A-20 is (between the output 64 and Turcot)

• Reconfiguration of rue Saint-Antoine O. and Rose-of-Lima

November

• Transfer traffic highway 15 south (sector Of La Vérendrye)

• Closing entry for The Drive (to A-15 south)

• Transfer traffic director is (between the Turcot interchange and highway 136 east)

• Transfer traffic director west (between Ville-Marie tunnel and exchanger, Montreal-West)

• Early dismantling

December

• Deviation-20 east to A-15 north

The construction in figures

• 50% of work is completed

• 1000 people are working on the site

• 28 temporary structures built to divert the traffic

• More than 30 traffic lights reprogrammed

• 20 to 25 for a week of work on the highways 15 and 20 between November 2017 and the beginning of the summer of 2018