A Turcot nightmare coming soon for Montreal commuters

Reach for the Tylenol if you plan to go anywhere near the Turcot Interchange. Some major changes could soon result in massive congestion.

The amount of work on the Interchange is expected to double in size in the coming months.

There will be significant closures to enter or exit the exchange for 20 to 25 weekends.

Beginning next month, there will be a new detour from Highway 20 east toward downtown that will put drivers on the new R-136.

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In mid-December, the biggest changes are planned. The entrance ramps to the 720 west from Lucien L’Allier and du Fort streets will be closed. Also, the St-Jacques exit from the 720 west will be closed. So too will the exit to the 15 south.

Transport Quebec officials are anticipating some major congestion. They project the worst areas will be on local roads as traffic is detoured. They’re asking motorists to be patient and plan in advance.

“It’s important in the next few months for people to plan their commute. Try to find some new roads. Plan the hours that will be on the road,” Sylvie Gervais, of the consortium KPH Turcot, said in a Thursday morning press conference.

Officials are encouraging people to use more public transit. They’re planning to add more buses and trains to the network as well as police officers at key choke points.

But critics say it’s not enough.

“We can’t catch up with the planning that should have been done. Traffic lights should have long been synchronized. There is no way they’re going to do it between now and mid-December. So I fear that there will be serious congestion,” Rick Leckner, a traffic consultant, told Global News.

KPH Turcot officials insist more than 50 per cent of the work to dismantle and rebuild the Turcot is done. And they insist they’re on target to hit the 2020 deadline to finish the job.

But motorists can expect a lot of driving pains as the worst is yet to come.