Bridge work to throttle traffic on Laurentian Autoroute

Lane closed from St. Laurent to Laval until December


By Robert Frank
www.thesuburban.com

Commuters to and from Laval will continue to confront construction madness until this winter, as the Quebec government continues to repair the province’s crumbling infrastructure.

Transport Quebec announced that, for the next four months, it will shut down a lane along Highway 15 between Côte Vertu in St. Laurent and Notre Dame in Laval.

The closure, which will start Aug. 22, will let construction crews rebuild the Medéric Martin Bridge which spans Rivière des Prairies.

“The lane which is closed will vary according to whether it is the morning or afternoon rush hour,” Transports Quebec spokeswoman Sarah Bensadoun told The Suburban.

Some motorists will be directed to the oncoming lanes, protected by rapidly movable concrete dividers.

“Twice a day, a zipper truck will move them to accommodate the shifting traffic volume,” she said.

“The work will entail the replacement of the bridge deck,” Bensadoun explained.

“The speed limit will be reduced to 80 km/h in the construction zone,” she added. “A mobile photo-radar vehicle parked on the right side of the road in the vicinity of the Médéric Martin and Cartier boulevard bridges to enforce the lower speed limit.”

Transport Quebec also anticipates occasionally shutting down Highway 15 completely overnight.

It recently closed the autoroute to traffic to permit workers to complete the demolition of the Cartier overpass, disrupting northbound and southbound traffic overnight, as well as cutting off a major urban artery in Laval. Repaving that viaduct ought to be completed in early 2014, Bensadoun confirmed.

“Urgent work was done in July, replacing damaged concrete and adding steel,” she explained.

Although all four lanes ought to be open by Christmas, Transport Quebec cautioned that bad weather or “operational constraints” could delay the full reopening of Highway 15.

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