Drivers are seeing red on downtown Montreal’s Peel Street as construction to shore up the street has been underway.
“It’s been brutal downtown,” said Rick Leckner, a traffic analyst. “It could be tough to get around. Walking is probably the easiest thing to do.”
The two-block stretch of Peel that runs between René-Levesque and St-Antoine has been narrowed to one lane as construction goes on to improve the sewer and water lines. It’s part of a $3.8 million project to improve the area’s infrastructure.
“We’re asking motorists to respect the signals and, if possible, avoid the area,” said city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin.
Leckner warned that the traffic situation is already difficult due to the importance of Peel as a major downtown street. But he added that it will worsen substantially once the festival season gets underway, starting with the Canadian Grand Prix the second weekend in June.
The work is slated to finish Aug. 23.