Montreal construction ramps up for back-to-school season

As Montrealers return to work and prepare to go back to school, commuters may need to make new travel plans to get there.

In addition to continuing work on the Dcarie Expressway, Turcot Interchange and the Champlain Bridge, work related to construction of the new light-rail train network (REM) will begin next month.

"The job has to be done and we're doing our best to minimize the impact," said city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin at a joint news conference with the Quebec Transport Ministry and CDPQ Infra, the consortium in charge of building the$6.3-billion REM project, Tuesday afternoon.

Starting in mid-September, work on the median of Highway 10 in the South Shore will require eastbound traffic to be diverted to service roads.

Also in the South Shore, a temporary terminal is being set up to reduce the impact on bus service while work is done on the Panama bus terminal.

The space needed for the temporary terminal will result in the loss of 500 of the 1,500 park-and-ride parking spaces in the area.

"It's always a difficult choice because we want to keep access to busses," said CDPQ Infra spokesperson Jean-Vincent Lacroix.

He added that the consortium is in talks with the Rseau de transport de Longueuil to possibly reroute buses to directly go downtown instead of stopping at the terminal.

In the West Island, demolition of a rail span running over Highway 40 at Henri-Bourassa Boulevard will take place on weekends, affecting traffic on the highway.

Work under McGill College Avenuebeginning mid-September will close the eastern side of the road between Ste-Catherine Streetand de Maisonneuve Boulevard.

That work is preparation for the construction of an REM station which will connect the electric train network to the Green line.

Also in downtown Montreal, major work on Viger Square beginning in October and continuing into 2019 means motorists should avoid the area if possible.

On the northbound Dcarie Expressway, traffic will continueto be reduced to one lane from the Notre-Dame-de-Grce tunnel to the Turcot Interchange.

The Sherbrooke Streetentrance to Highway 15 North will reopen in mid-September, with the Sherbrooke Streetexit reopening at the end of October.

"If you need to use your car, plan your trip," said transport ministry spokesperson Martin Girard. "When it's possible, leave earlier or later."

Work on the southbound Dcarie is set to begin in November.