(Montreal) The Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel had to be closed southbound on Monday morning due to a major accident. Congestion is expected in both directions for the rush hour, as two lanes were also closed northbound.
Posted at 6:49 a.m.
Updated at 8:02 a.m.
On Twitter, the Quebec 5-1-1 service announced that traffic had to be completely blocked towards the South Shore around 6:30 a.m. due to an accident involving three vehicles and a cube truck.
A fire also broke out in the tunnel following the accident, prompting emergency services to be called to the scene. By 6:50 a.m., the fire had been brought under control.
Quebec 5-1-1 advises that the sector is to be avoided and that the tunnel will remain closed in this direction for an indefinite period while operations continue.
Department of Transportation cameras showed significant congestion on Highway 25 southbound around 7 a.m. due to this incident. The vehicles were pushed back to the Anjou interchange.
Traffic seemed relatively free flowing toward Montreal at the same time, but two lanes had to be closed soon after, leaving only one lane open northbound.