Turcot repairs slow West Island commute

Drivers heading to the West Island from downtown Montreal Monday faced kilometres of gridlock, after Transport Quebec shut down a key lane of the Turcot Interchange for emergency repairs.

The work was ordered after transport inspectors foundcracks on the two-lane stretch of highway connecting Highway 720 (the Ville Marie Expressway)westbound to Highway 20.

Officials decided to closeone of the westbound lanes, creating along-term bottleneck forsome 37,000 vehicles that drive through the area every day.

On Monday, traffic volume at 3 p.m. was as heavy as peak rush-hour congestion normally seen around 5 p.m., said CBC traffic reporter Jesse Connell.

Transport Quebec warned that people should expect "some slowdowns any time of the day" and that rush hour would be "very complicated" in the weeks ahead, said spokesman Mario St-Pierre.

Inspectors are evaluating the cracks before deciding how to fix them.

Transport Quebec is advising motorists to make alternative travel plans or leave work early.

"They have to choose public transit. They can choose to avoid this area completely. They can choose to modify their schedule so they can avoid rush hour in the morning and in the afternoon," said St-Pierre.

The repair work is expected to last until July.

Turcot due for complete rebuild

The lane closure and emergency repairscome as Quebec and Montreal prepare for a complete overhaul of the Turcot Interchange.

The province unveiled its plans last falltorebuild the key highway structure, atthe cost of $3 billion.

The government is expropriating a number of buildings to make room for the new structure.

The new roads and ramps will be built around the existing interchangeto minimize traffic problemsduring the lengthy construction period.

It's not clear when construction work on the new interchange will start, but it is slated to be complete by 2017-2018.