Weekend closures on Highway 20 aren't going anywhere. Here's what to expect

If your perfect summer Saturday involves a breezy drive across Highway 20, you might want to reconsider; construction will continue throughout the season and will likely cause some traffic jams.

According to Quebec's transport ministry, drivers can expect some kind of closure on the 20 every weekend until the end of fall.

The good news is these closures usually won't be as extreme as they were on May long weekend.

The highway was completely closed westbound between Exit 63 and the 1st Avenue entrance, as was the Route-138 eastbound ramp, causing some drivers to be stranded in traffic for hours.

A spokesperson for Transport Quebec said the summer weekend closures will be lighter -- but it's tricky to say exactly what they'll look like, as the plans are arranged week-by-week.

Drivers are advised to check Quebec 511 before hitting the road and adjust their travel plans accordingly.

In addition, scheduled closures can be reviewed each weekend on the Mobilite Montreal site.

"There's an [update] every weekend, so we cannot have the whole portrait for the summer," Martin Girard told CTV News, noting that construction work can be unpredictable and require sudden changes of plans.

"If I tell you today that we close July 15, for example, it's too far."

The one exception is Labour Day weekend (Sept. 2-4). Girard confirmed that the interchange will close again, this time in the eastbound direction.

"Highway 20 east will be closed for the same kind of work that was done this weekend," he said.

Listen on CJAD 800: This Montrealer shares what it was like being stuck on Highway 20

SATURDAY TRAFFIC 'WORSE THAN EXPECTED'

According to Transport Quebec, while the traffic levels on Sunday and Monday were as expected, conditions on Saturday were surprisingly bad.

Transport officials will meet this week to determine what went wrong, according to Girard.

"For Saturday, the delays were worse than we expected," Girard said. "We will have a meeting this week to talk about what happened Saturday [...] and to see what can be done better next time."