Complete closures of traffic are planned in the evening and during the night this weekend, between Saturday and Monday, near the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel and on Highway 25. Quebec must “carry out permanent repairs in concrete” on the right lane, near the exit for Île Charron.
This was announced by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTMD) in a brief press release on Thursday. The closures will mainly concern Highway 25 northbound towards Montreal, including the La Fontaine tunnel, between exit 90 (La Prairie/USA/Varennes) of Highway 20 and the entrance from Notre-Dame Street East.
On this section, traffic will be blocked for two full consecutive nights, from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, then from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday and Monday.
At the MTMD, it is also specified to users that “the entrances leading to this section will be closed 30 minutes before the complete closure of the highway”. “Access to Île Charron will be maintained at all times”, however maintains Quebec, recalling that a marked path will be available “from boulevard Marie-Victorin” to achieve this.
The authorities also recall that the work “could be postponed” if “unfavorable” weather conditions or “operational constraints” occurred by Saturday. The government invites motorists and other road users to consult quebec511.info before traveling, or to dial 511 to find out about all the closures in effect.
Last week, an operation to plug a “major pothole” in the middle of the morning rush hour caused major congestion on Thursday at the approach to the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel.
The operation had forced the closure of access to the entrance to Île Charron, thus considerably extending travel times in the sector, which illustrates the vulnerability of the network since the closure of half of the lanes for the repair of the ‘infrastructure.
Major rehabilitation of the tunnel had started in July 2020, but the structure turned out to be much more deteriorated than expected. The vault, for example, would have 60% more damage than anticipated. Quebec will absorb all cost overruns, estimated at $900 million. According to the first schedule, the work should be completed in 2026.