The major repair work on the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel will intensify in the coming months and, at the same time, the obstacles to automobile traffic in the east end of Montreal.
Posted at 5:21 p.m.
The Ministry of Transport (MTQ) announced Friday that it would immediately undertake the reconstruction of the roadway of Highway 25, north of the bridge-tunnel. Fire safety issues also forced the contractor responsible for the project to change the order of work.
As a result, many exits and lanes will be closed in the coming months. Motorists should avoid the entire area as of next month, according to the MTQ.
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY THE MTQ
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY THE MTQ
Motorists should expect “complete weekend closures of Highway 25 and the tunnel, one direction at a time,” the ministry said.
Many access and exit routes from the A25 near the tunnel will be blocked from mid-February and for the whole of 2022. This is particularly the case for the entrance leading from rue des Futailles to Highway 25, southbound, from exit 4 of Highway 25, northbound, and from the ramp leading from Souligny Avenue to Highway 25, northbound.
From the beginning of March, one out of three tunnel lanes will be closed in a southerly direction.
“Very likely” delay in the schedule
During construction, the MTQ had to modify its choice of “fire protection materials for the walls of the tunnel for better durability,” he said. Tests carried out with a first product did not prove to be conclusive.
“Adjustments” will therefore have to be made and these will affect the order of business, the Ministry said.
“For now, the project budget is maintained,” said engineer Sandra Sultana, of the MTQ, at a press conference. “Regarding the schedule, which provided for the end of the project in 2024, there will most likely be a postponement of this deadline, but we are in the process of finalizing that. For the moment, we don’t have a date to give you. »
The Department points out that these changes to the initial plans are normal for a project of this magnitude.