Quebec’s transport ministry is strongly urging drivers to avoid the St-Pierre interchange this Thanksgiving long weekend.
A section of Highway 20 eastbound towards downtown will be closed to traffic starting at 10:30 p.m. Friday and lasting until 5 a.m. Tuesday.
A ministry spokesperson, Louis-Andre Bertrand, says the closure could cause significant congestion in and around the area.
South Shore drivers will also have to map out their route ahead of time before heading out.
The off-ramp along the 138 on the Mercier bridge will be closed to traffic, meaning drivers will not be able to access Highway 20 Westbound.
Chateauguay Mayor Eric Alard says that sadly, residents have gotten used to these inconvenient closures.
“People will not be able to go out and visit their family and loved ones this weekend and it will be a lot of trouble to get out of Chateauguay,” Allard said.
“I understand the work is needed but we don’t see the end of it.”
The ministry is also warning travellers looking to get on a plane Saturday morning to head out early.
Highway 20 westbound will be down to one lane between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Detour signs and increased police presence in busy intersections will be deployed to control traffic lights.
The ministry is suggesting drivers take the 520, the 13 and the 30 to get around the weekend traffic snarls.
“Take the bell way. The Highway 30 is a great option to avoid the mess,” said Global Montreal traffic reporter Mark Shalhoub.
“This will be a mess.”
Crews will be conducting repair work on the 55-year-old structure, shoring up the crumbling concrete.
“It’s a lot of work and it needs to be done over a long period of time so we are doing it during this long weekend instead of two different weekends,” Louis-André Bertrand said.
Despite the expected heavy rains and winds during the long weekend period, transport ministry officials say work should go on as scheduled as the majority of the repairs are underneath the structure.
The last time repairs of this nature were conducted was in May.
Traffic chaos ensued, with drivers missing flights due to the backlog along Highway 20 westbound.
Bertrand says the autoroute configuration heading east, towards downtown, is more favourable with more detour options available.
He adds the ministry has done more to avoid the same scenario from reoccurring, issuing media releases and campaigns online to notify motorists.
“We really made sure to make a lot of communication around this closure so people avoid the St-Pierre interchange,” Bertrand said.