Morning commuter gridlock after overpass collapse

The commute into Montreal on Monday morning was painfully slow and frustrating as thousands of motorists lined up for kilometres on detour routes afterSaturday's deadlyoverpass collapse closedHighway 19 in Laval.

Traffic was backed up as early as 6:00 a.m. on highways 25 and 15, the north-south routes into Montreal, and it took up to three hours for some commuters to get onto the island.

Highway 19 between Highway 440 and Henri-Bourassa Boulevard is expected to remain closed for several weeks, while workers clean up the debris aftertonnes of concrete and steel from the De la Concorde viaduct crashedonto the road,killing five people and injuring six.

About 57,000 motorists use Highway 19 every day to commute into Montreal from Laval and parts of the Laurentians and Lanaudiere regions.

Drivers can still cross on to the island using the Papineau-Leblanc Bridge, which is opensouthboundvia Lvesque Boulevard.

Transport officials are urging people who normally use the Papineau Bridge to consider usingthe Pie IX Bridge on Highway 25,the Viau Bridge on Highway 335 or the Mdric-Martin Bridge on Highway 15.

Public transit an option

Transport officials are urging motorists to consider carpooling or usingpublic transit.

Transit authorities in Laval and Montreal have increased service on some routes to accommodate more commuters:

• One extra commuter train will run between Blainville and Montreal, with stops at the Sainte-Rose and Saint-Martin stations. The extra train will leaveSainte-Roseat 8:30 a.m., and will stop at Saint-Martin at 8:38 a.m.
• An extra park-and-ride parking lot has been set up at Cinma Guzzo in Laval, with 400 spots available. A free bus shuttle to the Henri-Bourassa subway station will be availablefrom 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• There is also a park-and-ride lot at the Carrefour Laval shopping centre, with shuttle service to the Cte-Vertu subway station.
• Reserved bus lanes will also be extended alongLaurentian Boulevard.

Transitofficials will revise the special measures every 24 hours andadjustemergencyplan according to need. They admit the extra service will not relieve congestion during rush hour periods and are urging people to be patient.

For more information, go to the websites of Transports Qubec,the Laval Transit Commission orthe Montreal Transit Commission, or call:

• In Laval: (450) 688-6520 or(450) 680-2800.
• In Montreal:(514) 287-TRAM or 1-888-355-0511.