Major roadwork will continue on Montreal's highways and bridges this autumn, but Transport Quebec is giving more money to public transit in an effort to ease congestion.

Provincial Transportation Minister Jacques Daoust said that $63 million will be devoted to buses and transit.

$17 million will be solely for the SouthWest borough, which is being particularly hard hit by construction, notably on the Turcot Interchange.

25 new buses will be delivered by November, and service will be added on 13 lines throughout the rest of the year and into 2017.

The other $46 million will be spent across the public transit network in the Montreal area, and will allow for an additional 130 buses on the road.

Starting August 29, the STM will increase service on the Green line during the morning and afternoon rush hour.

Meanwhile the 747 buses are being diverted to regular bus service, and leased coaches will be operating on the 747 airport route.

"I urge all drivers to work together, to plan their routes, and to realize they will be going slow," said Daoust.

In addition to the work taking place on highways, hundreds of construction sites, major and minor, will affect drivers coming into the city.

Montreal mayor Denis Coderre said drivers should reconsider using their cars, and use public transit instead.

"Because of construction there are hundreds fewer parking spots in Montreal," said Coderre.

Coderre said he expects a large increase in traffic starting next week as CEGEP and university students return to class, that will only be compounded as elementary and high school students start class at the end of the month.

"We can already tell that the return to school will have a big impact on Montreal's roads," said Coderre.

He acknowledged that the extensive roadwork made driving difficult, but said it was the price to pay for decades of neglect by previous governments.  

The work

Officials outlined several areas where major work will take place, namely the Mercier Bridge, the St. Pierre Interchange, the Turcot Interchange, the Bonaventure Expressway, and the La Fontaine tunnel.

In many cases work at the site began long ago, and will continue for months or years to come.

Turcot/Ville Marie Interchange

The major work to rebuild the Turcot Interchange will continue to have ripple effects throughout the road network.

The lane restrictions between Highway 15 (Decarie Expressway) and the 720 (Ville Marie Expressway) will continue until 2019.

Starting in October, work to shift the Ville Marie will force the closure of two lanes, and the Ville Marie will be closed every weekend. That work is expected to continue until 2018.

The Atwater St. Exit, which closed in July, is expected to re-open in November.

Meanwhile several streets below the Turcot will face lane restrictions for years to come.

Bridges

The Champlain Bridge will undergo extensive work on two weekends in September, and two more in October.

Meanwhile work is needed on the provincial side of the Mercier Bridge for three weekends in October.

On those weekends, the Mercier will have at least one lane blocked between the Island of Montreal and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Work on the federal portion of the bridge wrapped up this past weekend.

Crews will co-ordinate their efforts so only one bridge is affected at a time.

St. Pierre Interchange

As part of the ongoing work on the St. Pierre Interchange, Highway 20 will face overnight closures in both directions from August until November.

The lanes between the Mercier Bridge and Highway 20 will be restricted from Sept. 2016 until 2019.

The St. Pierre Ave. entrance to Highway 20 east will be closed until 2019.

Covering the Ville Marie

Work to cover the Ville Marie near the CHUM superhospital is well underway.

Over the next few months this section of the 720 will be frequently closed at night, and there will be two, yet-to-be-scheduled, full weekend closures.

La Fontaine Tunnel

Work on the Montreal side of the La Fontaine tunnel has already begun, and is expected to last for the next year.

Multiple lanes will be closed on Highway 25 up to the Sherbrooke St. exchange, with work due to finish in 2017.