Paul St-Pierre Plamondon suggests studying free public transit for residents of the neighborhoods “most affected” by the congestion that is accumulating in the east end of Montreal. In Mercier, in particular, the impacts of the work in the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel will be added to “significant traffic jams”, which will create, according to him, a “chaotic situation”.
Posted at 10:29
In a letter sent Wednesday to the new Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, the PQ leader deplores that “residents and workers of Mercier-Est frequently have to deal with major traffic jams on Sherbrooke, Hochelaga and Notre-Dame streets. , as well as on avenue Souligny, which represent major axes between Pointe-aux-Trembles and the city center”.
“Add to this that it is of course common for traffic to overflow onto the streets adjacent to these traffic lanes, particularly on rue Dickson”, insists Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, who recalls in passing that the demolition of the ramp access to Highway 25 northbound resulted in a partial closure of Honoré-Beaugrand Street, between Souligny and Hochelaga.
According to him, “this unique situation is causing a significant increase in traffic in this residential sector”, especially since road works are already underway on Hochelaga Street and will continue until the summer of 2024. “This also accentuates the isolation of a good part of the sector, already severely paralyzed. This is without mentioning that the public transit offer leaves a lot to be desired in this sector,” regrets Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, stressing that the REM will “not see the light of day anytime soon”.
He calls on Minister Guilbault to “provide alternative solutions”, rather than asking the population to “find ways to get around on their own”.
Possible solutions
Thus, the PQ suggests “free and increased frequency of public transport for citizens of the most affected neighborhoods, such as those included in the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve”, or even free commuter train Mont-Saint-Hilaire and the increase in its passages.
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon believes that it would also be necessary to “open an additional lane reserved for buses” in the La Fontaine tunnel, or consider “reserving one lane out of six, which would change direction in the morning and evening”. More generally, he calls for “the acceleration of certain projects, such as that of the reconstruction of the access ramp to Highway 25, in the most affected and landlocked sectors, such as the district of Tétreaultville”.
As a reminder, Quebec will close three of the six lanes of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel as of October 31 until the end of 2025. Last weekend, a complete closure of the northbound tunnel was ordered to carry out preparatory work. , causing massive congestion around the Jacques-Cartier and Samuel-De Champlain bridges, in particular.
At the Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ), spokesperson Gilles Payer for his part maintained on Monday that the situation nevertheless “went well” this weekend. “Although we have observed congestion in Montreal and on the South Shore, we have already experienced worse during similar closures in the past,” he illustrates by email.
“The times observed on Saturday to leave the axis of the tunnel at exit 90 Varennes La Prairie/USA, of Highway 20 westbound and re-enter it via the detour route, was 40 to 60 minutes. […] As for Sunday, the travel times were 30 to 40 minutes, ”continued Mr. Payer, saying that he had also not “observed more clashes than usual”.