Not a terrible 1st day: Drivers avoid Highway 20 as Turcot work shuts lane

Today's commute from Montreal's West Island was expected to be extra long andfrustratingMonday morningwith work on the new Turcot Interchange paralyzing a key route into downtown, but it seems it wasn't so bad.

On Sunday, one laneconnecting Highway 20 East to theVille-MarieExpressway was blocked off. Officials advisedcommuters to use a different route, change theirschedule,take public transit,or be prepared to sit in traffic.

By mid-morning, it appeared as thoughmany drivers heeded that advice.

"People have been scared off. I know where they are they're on the 40 East," said Jennifer Allen, CBC traffic reporter.

Highway 40 was slow through the West Islandto the exit for the Dcarie Expressway, but heavy trafficon Highway 20 only started in earnest after the St-Pierre Interchange.

Transports Qubec spokeswomanNombaDanielle said as far as the ministry isconcerned,there weren't any major issues with Monday morning's commute.

"Road users really avoided the 720 east area in the TurcotInterchange. We hope it's because they took public transit and they modified their transportation habits, but we noticed that the nightmare that everyone was expecting didn't happen this morning," she said.

By 6:30 a.m., traffic on Highway 20was already slow for about threekilometres, from beforethe Angrignon overpass. Twohours later, traffic was backed up four kilometres to around the St. Jacques Street exit.

The Transport Ministry hadanticipatedfive to six kilometres of heavy traffic heading into Montreal.

The lane reduction will be in place until 2018.

The STM says it's adding 25 more buses and increasing the capacity of its Green line to accommodate more users.

• West Islanders mull options as Turcot work ramps up

Train delays

Two trains on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line, which serves much of the West Island,were delayed by 30 minutes this morning.

AMT spokeswomanCaroline Fortinsays the problem was a signaling issue for trains that passed through Montreal West station.

Trains weren't getting authorization to circulate and were being delayed, she said.

The signals are the responsibility ofCanadian Pacific Railway, which owns the tracks that theAMT trains run on.

In a statement, a spokesperson for CP said the company "regrets the inconvenience that delays caused Montreal commuters this morning" and "has continually demonstrated its commitment to on time performance of AMT trains."

Two possible detour options

The lane closure is necessary in order to prepare two new lanes to access downtown, which will be part of the eventual replacement for theVille-MarieExpressway.

Transport Ministry officials aresuggesting two detour routes through the Southwestborough:

• East alongNotre-Dame Street toSt-RmiStreet, then north to St-Jacques Street.
• St-Patrick Street eastbound along theLachineCanal into the city.

Highway 720 East will permanently close in mid-November between theTurcotand Atwater exit.

Highway 136 will replace it, but will only offer two lanes instead of four to access downtown.

Bad for businesses

According toMarc Cadieux, the president of the QuebecTruckingAssociation, the congestion in Montreal will drive up prices.

"There will need to be surcharges imposed by carriersto come onto the island of Montreal and delays will need to be factored in," Cadieuxsaid.

Along with the extra cost to transport goods, businesses are having trouble convincing people to make the effort to get into the city.

Andr Poulin, the executive director ofDestination Centre-Ville, the downtown Montreal commercial development association, says the challenge of convincing people to shop downtown is worsened by traffic.

"What we're hearing more and more is that people are avoiding downtown," Poulin said.

• Why the AMT can't add trains to itsVaudreuil-Hudsonline
• 'Don't take it out on the driver': Construction delays leave bus drivers pleading with public
• Lousy commute downtown for West Islanders, transport minister warns