Leaves won’t be the only thing covering the streets of Montreal this fall, as more construction is on the way, accompanied by lengthy delays and more of those infamous orange cones.
“You have Turcot, Pont Champlain, so there’s many construction sites,” said Philippe Sabourin, a spokesperson for the City of Montreal.
He adds that this fall three construction sites will pop up around the city on top of the 10 different sites already in progress.
The three new sites include:
- One near Robert-Bourassa Boulevard that will see overnight and weekend closures from St. Jacques Street to Belmont, expected to be completed by this October
- One near Lacordaire Boulevard that will completely shut down the east side of the Metropolitaine until Bourdaloue Street in 2018, with one lane in each direction set up on the westbound side and construction ending sometime in 2019
- One at Viger Square slated for October with partial closures on Viger Avenue and Saint-Antoine Street, expected to take three years to complete
Construction of the new Reseau Express Metropolitain will also affect traffic in and around the city this fall.
McGill University will see the relocation of public utilities on the eastbound side between Saint-Catherine Street and Maisonneuve Boulevard.
On the south shore, the start of major work at the Panama bus terminal in Brossard will dramatically reduce the capacity of the park-and-ride lot, which has between 500 and 1,500 parking spots.
As Global News previously reported, the biggest news for those coming into the city remains the eventual closure of the Deux-Montagnes train line from Du Ruisseau station to Gare Centrale in 2020.
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A spokesperson for the REM, Jean-Vincent Lacroix, said officials with the transportation system are going to do everything they can to figure out how to accommodate those inconvenienced by this work.
“We are going to have a major campaign this fall to invite people who have more accessibility to the metro to use the metro or to use another line like Mascouche,” said Lacroix.
Traffic expert Rick Leckner told Global News these construction projects will cause headaches on top of headaches.
“2020 is going to be a big year because not only are they starting — not only is the REM project going to heat up — but that’s the year they are starting the Tunnel La Fontaine, which will last four years with serious issues, with closures for a good two-year period,” Leckner said.
The city is expected to announce its mobility squad on Wednesday, saying it will help commuters learn about how to best get around town.
In the meantime, Autorite regionale de transport metropolitain (ARTM) and partners, have launched a campaign that will see train riders receive 10 free TRAM passes on Aug. 22 and 28 in an effort to get them better acquainted with other available transportation options ahead of any issues with the line.
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