The first snow complicates traffic in several sectors

Who says first snow, says more complicated trips. Congestion was much denser Wednesday morning across the metropolitan area as it received its first snowflakes. Traffic seemed particularly difficult on the Metropolitan, the Décarie highway and Highway 25.

Henri Ouellette-Vezina

The Press

Pierre-Andre Normandin

The Press

Passage times in the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel, under construction for three years, were particularly long at the start of the day.

From Montreal towards the South Shore, it takes more than an hour to cover the 10 kilometers from Boulevard Viau to the entrance to the tube, according to data from the government’s Temps La Fontaine platform. Conversely, it took about 25 minutes to travel the 22 kilometers between Beloeil and the tunnel.

In the metro, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) reported no slowdown in its service. Elsewhere in the province, traffic was heavier in Sherbrooke, but remained relatively more fluid in Trois-Rivières and Quebec.

It must be said that overall, the first snow caused its share of complications on the road network, Wednesday morning, the conditions being much more difficult in certain sectors of Greater Montreal. Early in the day, an accident involving several vehicles occurred on Highway 15 northbound, just before Curé-Labelle Boulevard in Laval. Lanes had to be closed.

The Highway 50 East ramp for Highway 15 North also had to be temporarily closed due to “difficult road conditions” and an “icy road surface”, reported the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité Durable (MTMD). ) via the Quebec511 Twitter account.

Adapt your driving

In the Laurentians, in the Grenville-sur-la-Rouge sector, a pileup involving six vehicles also forced the closure of Highway 50 in both directions at the start of the day.

At the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), we reported Wednesday morning “a dozen material collisions” in Greater Montreal. “It’s nothing major, but there are several scenes. People are asked to adapt their driving to road conditions, and if they are able, to delay travel. It is also necessary to clear snow from your vehicle, and monitor the state of the road network, ”says spokesperson Marythé Bolduc.

“Montreal is experiencing its first snowfall of the season today. Our teams are on the ground to ensure safe travel for the entire population,” wrote the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, at the start of the day.

Remember that all vehicles must be equipped with winter tires this year before 1^er December, until March 15. Users who have not yet made the change are invited to exercise increased vigilance on the road network.

Environment Canada had issued several snow bulletins and warnings for the southern and eastern regions of Quebec on Wednesday morning. In Montreal, 5 to 10 cm of snow was forecast during the day, while accumulations could reach 10 to 15 cm in Mauricie and 15 to 20 cm in the Quebec region.