2-year road closure for 55th Avenue in Dorval as major work begins on Highway 520

A section of 55th Avenue in Dorval will be completely closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic for two years, starting Monday.

As of Aug. 10, the Quebec Transport Ministry (MTQ) will be starting major work on the Côte-de-Liesse Expressway overpass.

A section of 55th Avenue northbound and southbound, where the expressway crosses over, between 54th Avenue and Calais Avenue, will be closed for the two-year period as crews work underneath the structure.

The project is expected to last until the spring of 2022, weather permitting, according to the MTQ.

“It’s a total reconstruction from A to Z,”  MTQ spokesperson Gilles Payer said.

The work will be carried out in two main phases: the reconstruction of the service road structure in both directions, followed by the expressway overpass.

Partial or complete closures of Highway 520 or its service roads are expected, Payer says.

Detours will be marked with temporary signage in the coming days.

Dorval Mayor Edgar Rouleau says he is relieved to see the project get underway.

“Finally — it’s taken a long time,” he said.

Rouleau says the structure has been deemed dangerous by the MTQ for years.

In the last five years, numerous steel supports were placed to keep the overpass standing.

Rouleau said he does worry about the traffic the road closure will cause.

“It’s going to cause some headaches, but it needs to be done.”

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Situated right next to the industrial sector, the closure will divert big trucks and will affect industry workers.

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The MTQ will be providing a free 24/7 shuttle bus service to ship people on either side of the 520.

The reconstruction of the overpass will cost an estimated $14 million, according to the MTQ.

Once the work on the overpass is complete, 55th Avenue will reopen with one lane heading in both directions.