The Metropolitan Expressway and its service roads were reopened to traffic on Sunday, after complete closures due to the dismantling of part of the overpass on Boulevard des Galeries-d’Anjou. Quebec says it draws a positive balance sheet for the weekend, despite greater congestion on the local network.
“It went well, everything went as planned. Highway 40 westbound was even reopened around 10:20 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. eastbound, slightly earlier than expected,” the spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Sustainable mobility (MTMD), Martin Girard.
Between 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday, the Metropolitan Expressway had been completely closed eastbound between exit 78 and the entrances from Highway 25. Westbound, the entire section between exit 80 north and the entrance from boulevard Langelier was also closed.
The reason: teams were proceeding with the partial dismantling of the overpass on Boulevard des Galeries-d’Anjou, over Highway 40, using several pieces of machinery. “After the dismantling, we will go into construction mode for the new structure in the coming weeks,” Mr. Girard continued on the phone.
All highway service lanes were also closed between 9 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Heading east, you could no longer drive between Avenue des Halles and the entrance to the shopping center, while heading west, traffic had been interrupted between Rue Jarry Est and Avenue de Neuville. These sections were reopened to traffic in the middle of the afternoon on Sunday.
After a winter break, reconstruction work on this overpass has resumed since March 20. This vast project, which began in 2021, should be completed by the end of 2023.
Anticipating “heavy congestion” in connection with this work, Quebec had invited the population to avoid the sector during the weekend. Around the closure, several axes were very busy on the island of Montreal, Saturday and Sunday, La Presse was able to see.
“On our network, so at the level of highways 40 and 25 especially, we did not note any major elements. There was no major congestion. On the local network, on the other hand, it is certain that it was probably not as fluid as in normal times ”, notes in this sense Martin Girard.
Other closures are also expected in the coming weeks, but the nature of these is still unknown. They will be specified as and when, by press releases, on the site of the government of Quebec.
At any time, the authorities also point out that the various phases of work could be postponed due to adverse weather conditions or unforeseen operational constraints. In this context, users are advised to consult the Québec 511 platform in order to better plan their trips.
