Avoid Highway 20 East and Saint-Pierre interchange on Thanksgiving weekend; major construction planned
Quebec's transport ministry is telling drivers in and around Montreal to avoid the Saint-Pierre Interchange on Thanksgiving weekend as there will be a major closure.
When a similar closure took place in May, cars were lined up bumper-to-bumper along Highway 20 West, and many drivers were stuck in traffic for hours.
Some also missed their flights.
Starting at 9 p.m. on Friday until Tuesday at 5 a.m., Highway 20 will be closed in the eastbound direction at the interchange leading to the Honore-Mercier Bridge. To get downtown, drivers will be re-routed to Highway 13.
"The difference between last time and this time is that headed west, the option was to take the 15 north (Decarie Expressway), which has a lot of traffic already, as opposed to the 13," said MTQ spokesperson Louis-Andre Bertrand. "The 13 is a highway that's really busy on weekdays, so on weekends, there is more capacity to take extra traffic."
Transport Quebec still expects heavy traffic on the weekend, and is advising drives to take highways 40, 440 or 30 to head east.
The work will replace the concrete ramp connecting the Mercier Bridge to Highway 20 West, a change the ministry wants to do in one long weekend.
"We are doing preventative and maintenance work, so we don't have to do those emergency closures that would happen during the weekdays, and that would really impact traffic," said Bertand. "That's why, for this long weekend, for Thanksgiving, we need to do all that work on that ramp."
Traffic analyst Rick Leckner is relieved that the ministry is telling Quebecers in advance.
"The best thing for people to do is check before they head out," he said.
"Check Waze, check Google, check Quebec511 to make sure what's working and what isn't working and then just plan a road around it because there is nothing that is going to effectively replace that stretch of road."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
NEW Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Tornadoes tear through southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.