Turcot Interchange opening – For people living near the Turcot Interchange, having endured endless months of construction noise, and drivers who faced never-ending traffic congestion and detours – the news of the Turcot project entering its final stages should help ease some of their anxiety. The light at the end of the tunnel (or ramps) is in sight. On Thursday August 22nd, KPH Turcot, the consortium responsible for building the interchange invited the media for a tour of the site and announced that several new sections will be opening this autumn – with the first section to open this Monday. Drivers heading North on HWY 15 from the Champlain Bridge will now be able to directly access HWY 20 West. And then HWY 20 East to Decarie North and HWY 15 South to HWY 20 West is expected to be opened in the next few weeks. The temporary structures now in place will then be taken down.
Following that, three out of four lanes for drivers heading West from the Ville Marie Tunnel to the Turcot Interchange, as well as the exit to De la Verendrye from HWY 15 South, will reopen – although the exact dates are not known. Then by the end of 2020, the balance of the sections will finally be opened.
We are on time and on budget and the project is going very well. Nearly 80% of the construction is finished, Chantal Rouleau, Quebec Deputy Transport Minister said and then added, “The new interchange will have bus lanes, wider lanes for cars and more room on the shoulders for emergency vehicles… it’s more than just a highway.”
The Turcot project is nearing completion and once all the work is done, a ‘small forest’ will be planted. “It’s roughly 10,000 trees we’re going to install as well as lots of bushes. I think it’s 55,000 bushes that we’ll install. It’s going to be green everywhere around the interchange,” said KPH Turcot deputy project director Olivier Beaulieu. It will be a very nice entry into the city of Montreal at a human level, added Rouleau. With the new Samuel de Champlain Bridge and Turcot Interchange finally all in place, Montreal just might regain its reputation as one of the most welcoming cities in North America.
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