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Minister of Transport Sam Hamad announced today that the west side of the Honoré-Mercier Bridge will reopen, as scheduled, to westbound traffic travelling to the South Shore as of Tuesday, September 6, at 5:00 a.m.
MTQ closed the west side of the bridge on June 14 after receiving a report stating that the steel structure was badly deteriorated and 10 gusset plates needed major repairs. These gusset plates are part of the bridge’s basic structure.
Now that the urgent work is complete and has been approved by the project engineers, MTQ can reopen the bridge to traffic according to the following lane plan:
- Two lanes toward Montréal and one toward the South Shore
- 5 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Monday to Friday
- One lane toward Montréal and two toward the South Shore
- 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Wednesday
- 12:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday and Friday
- One lane in each direction
- 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., Monday to Wednesday
- 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., Thursday and Friday
- Weekends and holidays
This plan also allows heavy vehicles to travel westbound on the bridge. Work to reinforce the steel structure will continue, and the second lane of traffic is scheduled to reopen by December 2011.
“As announced, MTQ will open the west side of the Honoré-Mercier Bridge on Tuesday, improving city traffic management just in time to meet heavy demand as summer vacation ends. This is great news for everyone using the bridge, including truck drivers, and a boost for the local economy,” stated Minister Hamad.
In late August, MTQ and its numerous partners introduced concrete measures to handle increased traffic in the Montréal area in anticipation of the start of the school year. These measures include opening the Champlain Bridge ice control structure to emergency vehicles and to empty buses travelling against traffic, adapting public transit services in response to demand, improving the coordination of roadwork, and enhancing communication with the public.
“These initiatives, which represent a total of $110 million in investments, are intended to minimize traffic congestion and cut travel time for thousands of people. All that combined with the reopening of the west side of the Honoré-Mercier Bridge will make things much easier on drivers,” added Minister Hamad.
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If you have questions or comments related to the MTQ lane closure or any other matter relating to these decisions, please visit their website.
** Please note that this blog has been created for the deck replacement project by The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI) and not for the operation and maintenance of the bridge by the MTQ. We just want to share the messages from the MTQ for the benefit of motorists.
