Monday's commute was messy for many drivers in the Montreal area, now that the snow has arrived to welcome the opening of the new Highway 136.

Environment Canada issued snowfall and snow squall warnings for western Quebec, along with much of eastern Ontario and three of the nation’s largest cities.

Montreal is experiencing snowy roads just in time for the start of the work week.


The Sûreté du Québec reported several cars driving off the road, particularly in the Eastern Townships and Montérégie.

Areas in southwestern Quebec could see an additional five to 25 centimetres of snow by Tuesday morning combined with strong northerly winds that could create hazardous driving conditions. Rapidly accumulating snow throughout the day could make travel difficult in some regions.

Highway 136 opens

The snowfall landed at an inopportune time in Montreal as many commuters faced a new route: The two-lane Highway 136 replaced the Ville-Marie Expressway East heading into downtown Montreal.

Delays were seen at the morning's peak rush hour, as a combination of falling snow and a stalled van on the new highway slowed traffic.

“That should have been dealt with a lot faster unless there were so many other issues going on, but that needs to be a priority on an ongoing basis,” said traffic consultant Rick Leckner.

Drivers heading south on the Decarie Expressway and those coming east on Highway 20 now merge at the beginning of the eastbound Route 136.

Highway 136 runs parallel to and partially underneath the elevated Ville Marie Expressway. Once the Ville-Marie East is torn down, Highway 136 will be widened with two extra lanes, but not for several years.

To do so, the new route will be closed on weekends starting in December. That demolition work will last until the spring and work to expand Highway 136 will last through 2018.

Drivers are able to access the Atwater Exit, and the Guy St. Exit before entering the Ville-Marie Tunnel.
 

Transport Quebec said traffic on Monday was better than expected. It had predicted traffic jams would back up to the Ville St-Pierre Interchange because the new eastbound highway has fewer lanes.

“It wasn't as bad as anticipated. We've noticed that it was regular congestion in comparison to what we had last week,” said Transport Quebec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun.

Transit delays

Commuters who opted for underground transit faced problems Monday morning.

Despite taking a route not affected by snow, there was an interruption on the metro's orange line, shutting down service between Beaubien and Montmorency from 8:00 a.m. until about 8:30 a.m.

The reason? Someone dropped a lit cigarette on the platform.

There were more delays in the afternoon when someone walked onto the train tracks.
 


Bus commuters in Anjou were not spared from delays either:

Meantime, work crews were spotted laying sod along Rene-Levesque Blvd.
 

Projet Montreal councillors said the idea was ridiculous, and that the contractors should be penalized.

"It seems to be the contractors should have to be fined for this, because obviously it's not going to take under the snow," said Craig Sauvé.

Mayor Denis Coderre also said it was unacceptable, and that the contractors will not be paid.

He said the city was supposed to be notified before grass was put in place, and that the sod-laying will resume in the spring.

However landscapers said if the grass is dormant, it won't be bothered much by being laid in the snow as long as the ground is not frozen. 

Some, however, just took a moment to enjoy the first snowflakes of winter and capture the moment:

 

Let it snow #snow #winteriscoming #christmasiscoming

A photo posted by Marie-Pierre Thiffault (@marie.p.thiffault) on

 

First snowfall in Montreal #firstsnowfall #montreal #november2016 #mtl #laval #snow

A photo posted by Anna Turchetta (@insta_aannaa) on

 

... First day of snow in #Montreal. #Quebec #Canada #snow

A photo posted by P A T R I C K (@potchopotchoy) on

 

With files from CTVNews.ca Staff