Construction on highways, bridges, and city streets looms over summer of 2018

Officials repeatedly warned in recent years that all the construction Montrealers were enduring was simply a warm up for the work necessary from 2018 and in subsequent years, and this summer's construction plan shows they were right.

As Montreal spends hundreds of millions of dollars fixing water mains and roads, construction crews working for the provincial government will be tearing up and repaving major highways.

Transport Quebec listed 41 sites in the metropolitan area that will be under construction during 2018, and it is trying to co-ordinate roadwork with the city of Montreal.

One of those key sites is the Decarie Expressway, where crews will be repaving the southern strip of the highway, but is hoping to minimize the overlap with city work taking place on Cote St. Luc Rd.

Those relying on public transit are not going to have it easy either.

Deux Montagnes train line

• Weekend cancellations are already in place on the Deux Montagnes train line.
• Two weekday morning trains, and one weekday evening train, will be cancelled starting June 25

Turcot Interchange

• Demolition of westbound Ville Marie Expressway continues all summer. Will force multiple weekend closures of highway between downtown and Turcot.
• Highway 15 north will be reduced to one lane between the Lachine Canal and the interchange

Decarie Expressway

• Northbound lanes between Turcot Interchange and Cote St. Luc Rd. will be reduced to two lanes from July until November.
• Sherbrooke St. entrance to Highway 15 north will be closed until November
• All southbound lanes, from Highway 40 to Sherbrooke St. will be repaved over the summer. Expect all lanes to be closed repeatedly at night.
• Only two southbound lanes will be open between

Bonaventure Expressway

• Two years of construction work began this week.
• During morning rush hour two lanes will be open toward downtown Montreal, and one lane toward the Champlain Bridge. Buses heading to downtown will have a third reserved lane.
• After 9:30 a.m. two lanes will be open in each direction.
• Expect frequent complete closures on nights and weekends.

Highway 40 and 13

• The Highway 13 bridge over Highway 40 is being rebuilt, which will result in frequent lane closures.
• The Cote Vertu Blvd. bridge will also undergo major repairs..

Champlain Bridge

• Highway 15 will often be closed between the Bridge and the Turcot Interchange.

Highway 10

• Work on the REM will divert drivers from the highway to service roads as crews lay tracks for the electric train.

Near Route 117 and Laurentian Blvd.

• Two southbound lanes open on Laurentian Blvd.
• All southbound lanes closed on Lachapelle St.
• Bocage St., and L'Abord a Plouffe St. are closed until the autumn.

Mercier Bridge

• The inbound, provincially-owned, section of the bridge will be closed for two months starting at the end of June.
• Drivers will be diverted to the other half of the span, which will be one lane in each direction.

Lafontaine Tunnel

• Transport Quebec is spending $25 million to maintain the tunnel which will require frequent weekend and night closures.
• Crews are also building a new bridge to Charron Island.

Ile aux Tourtes Bridge

• As was announced in March, $25 million will be spent over next two years maintaining the Ile aux Tourtes bridge. (Plans to replace it will be finalized by 2020.)
• Highway 40 between the bridge and Blvd. des Anciens Combattants will be repaved.

Cote St. Luc Rd.

• Work between Decarie Blvd. and Bonavista Ave. to fix water mains, sewers, and electrical lines began last year, and is due to end in July, four months ahead of schedule.

St. Denis St.

• The latest phase of construction on St. Denis St. began in mid-May, between Jean Talon St. and Jarry St. and will last until 2019.
• Only one northbound lane will be open.
• Southbound lanes will be closed, aside from a short stretch between Gounod and Villeray.

Lacordaire Blvd.

• Construction on the stretch between Bourdaloue St. and Highway 40 starts in July and will last until the fall of 2019.

Notre Dame St.

• Work on sewers, water mains, and lighting between Frontenac St. and Bourbonniere St. continues until November.
• Two westbound lanes will be open in the morning, and two eastbound lanes in the afternoon.

De La Savane St.

• Work which began last year is scheduled to end in November.

Van Horne Ave.

• Westbound lanes to be closed between Decarie Blvd. and Victoria Ave. for two years. Drivers can detour via Victoria and Cote St. Catherine Rd.

Viau St.

• Work on sewers, water mains, and lighting began in May and will continue until August 2019.
• In mid-December all lanes will be closed between Rosemont Blvd. and Beaubien St., with buses being detoured via L'Assomption Blvd.