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Montreal’s Formula E run-up has drivers seeing red

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Montreal’s Formula E drivers seeing red
WATCH ABOVE: The Formula E race will have electric cars will whizzing through city streets this weekend, but Montreal drivers are dealing with major traffic headaches as a result. Global’s Billy Shields reports – Jul 28, 2017

Commuters heading into downtown Montreal were greeted by a grinding commute Friday as the Formula E, ongoing festivals and preexisting construction sites conspired to snarl traffic on the city’s south-east side.

READ MORE: Businesses not seeing same excitement behind Formula E compared to F1

“I guess I’ll try again.”

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René-Lévesque Boulevard was a source of huge problems during the morning rush hour, as westbound lanes were closed from Jacques-Cartier Bridge to Saint-Denis Street.

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READ MORE: Montrealers prepare for traffic confusion ahead of Formula E race

The Ville-Marie Tunnel was also closed to traffic, meaning that one of the few avenues westward into the downtown core was de Maisonneuve Boulevard.

READ MORE: Mayor Denis Coderre on the defence; calls Formula E an investment

Montreal police said Sherbrooke Street was another option, but there was wall-to-wall traffic by 8 a.m.

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Motorists, residents and merchants have already been complaining for weeks about the negative affect construction and the Formula E have on traffic, business and quality of life.

READ MORE: Parked car? No problem, says Montreal worker paving René Lévesque Boulevard

One policeman commented to Global News that it could go down as the worst day of traffic all summer.

READ MORE: Buying an electric car? Here are some factors Canadian drivers should consider

The city has since put out a map of all the no-go zones in the city:

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