Montreal commuters were gearing up for a difficult commute Wednesday afternoon as heavy rain caused major flooding on highways and local roads, leading to several closures.
Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for southern Quebec beginning on Wednesday and continuing into early Thursday, as remnants of Hurricane Beryl make their way east.
The weather agency said the island of Montreal could see rainfall amounts between 50 and 80 mm but could exceed 120 mm in some areas due to thunderstorms.
Global News meteorologist Ross Hull said the heaviest rain was expected to move in by Wednesday afternoon.
Transports Québec warned that several major intersections were closed due to water accumulation, including parts of the Décarie and the Highway 40 West ramp to Highway 13.
Officials recommended planning ahead and checking online for closures on Québec 511 before heading out.
That recommendation, however, came too late for some motorists who took to social media to warn others of long waits and submerged vehicles.
In an interview with Global News, Transports Québec spokesperson Louis-André Bertrand said traffic was being rerouted away from the Décarie.
“We’re closing all the entrances so people don’t go on Décarie,” he said.
Unfortunately, the measure was having a significant impact on local streets.
“We’re deviating all this traffic, we’re talking about tens of thousands of people who go on Décarie daily, directing them on the municipal network and it doesn’t have the capacity to get all these vehicles,” Bertrand said.
While air traffic did not to appear to be hampered by the rain, passengers trying to get to Trudeau airport faced heavy road traffic in the area. Airport officials urged caution on the roads and warned of long delays.
The Décarie was reopened to traffic just before 5:30 p.m. but the backlog of traffic could take some time to clear up.
The Société de Transport de Montréal also warned some of its bus routes could see delays and detours due to the storm.