” It’s hell. Motorists stuck on the Jacques-Cartier Bridge and its surroundings on Saturday had a taste of the years to come: monster traffic jams caused by the closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel.
Posted at 9:42 p.m.
Those who took the Jacques-Cartier bridge in the direction of Montreal had to arm themselves with a lot of patience on Saturday.
No access to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge was spared from the congestion that we rarely see in this sector, especially on a Saturday afternoon. On Highway 132, motorists were immobilized from Roland-Therrien Boulevard, several kilometers from the access to the bridge. On boulevard Taschereau, traffic drove back for more than three kilometers, to boulevard Curé-Poirier.
At issue: the complete closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel towards Montreal, which will continue until 5 a.m. Monday morning.
And that’s just a taste of the years to come. As of October 31, Quebec will close three of the tunnel lanes until the end of 2025.
“I’m staying on the South Shore and I took Jacques-Cartier. It’s hell, ”says Boumedienne Saadi, behind the wheel.
Desperate, the Uber driver is already anticipating a loss of income with the start of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel megasite at the end of the month.
“It will take us longer. In an hour, I should do three or four races. There, I will just do one race per hour, ”he laments.
“We have 4 years to endure the traffic, and after that we will be fine,” says Jean-Guy wisely, crossed with his spouse Sylvie on rue Saint-Charles, in Vieux-Longueuil.
Until then, the couple will have to live on a daily basis with the inconvenience caused by the closing of the tunnel: they live in a condo near the bridge.
“If I leave the garage, I have to get in line,” says Jean-Guy. “To get here, it would have taken me 30 minutes by car. On foot, I am faster,” he notes.
Normally, driver Raabi Kourdad works in Montreal. Tonight, he will stay on the South Shore. No question of crossing the Jacques-Cartier bridge and getting stuck in traffic. “I shop here until the congestion is less bad,” he says.
Around 3 p.m., the Sûreté du Québec was called to intervene in the area of the Jacques-Cartier bridge, in Longueuil. By 8:00 p.m., the traffic had reduced enough, and the patrol officers had left the scene.
Reminder of hindrances
Several obstacles are to be expected this weekend in Montreal, which partly explain the repression on the Jacques-Cartier bridge.
The A25 North, between exit 90 of the A20 and the entrance on rue Notre-Dame Est, will be completely closed. Access to the ramps leading from Route 132 to the A25 North and to the entrance to Rue de l’Île-Charron will also be prohibited. Île Charron is only accessible via the A25 South.
Remember that since Tuesday, shuttle services linking the South Shore and the Radisson terminus in Montreal are free for three years.