The Ville-Marie highway will be closed in both directions over the next weekend, in order to demolish two sections of the deck of the Saint-Laurent Boulevard overpass.
This was announced on Tuesday by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTMD), warning that congestion will therefore be expected in the city center. Crews will essentially demolish “the east and west portions” of the Saint-Laurent Boulevard deck over the weekend.
In the westbound direction, the highway will be completely blocked between rue Panet and the entrance from rue Lucien-L’Allier, from Friday at 11 p.m. until Monday 5 a.m. Motorists will have to take a detour via avenue Viger, then rue Saint-Antoine.
Towards the east, the closure will be for the same period of time, but rather between exit 4 towards the Victoria Bridge and the entrance from Atateken Street. In this case, traffic will be diverted towards the Saint-Jacques and Saint-Antoine axes.
This new closure is part of a vast major infrastructure project. Mechanical systems, walls of the Viger and Ville-Marie tunnels, retaining walls, roadway: the concrete structure will be practically rebuilt anew by 2030. This project located in the heart of downtown Montreal is estimated at approximately 2 billion dollars.
Quebec indicates that the access ramps will be closed 30 minutes before the complete closure of the highway. All detour routes will be marked with signage. An increased police presence is also planned “in order to facilitate traffic on detour routes”.
On Monday, the government also confirmed that the Papineau-Leblanc bridge will also be completely closed to automobile traffic again next weekend, in order to continue replacing the stays on the structure. This risks causing a lot of congestion on Highway 19.
In this case, we suggest that motorists and other road users who would like to transit between Montreal and Laval in this sector opt for the Médéric-Martin bridge, on the axis of Highway 15. The Pie-bridge IX, in the axis of Route 125, can also be an alternative solution if necessary.
The authorities also invite citizens to consult the government platform Québec 511 before traveling, in order to better plan their trips.