Construction near Kahnawake reverberates

Even before a massive construction project turned St. Jean Baptiste Boulevard and the portion of Highway 132/138 that goes into Kahnawake into a round-the-clock traffic jam, there was already, in the minds of many, a traffic crisis in the community.

And now, as motorists try to go around construction in Chateauguay - but also in St. Isidore, where a short-term roadwork project has used Route 207 as a detour road - the streets of Kahnawake have become access lanes for everyone and anyone trying desperately to avoid the hours-long wait in traffic.

It all started when work to massively expand the number of lanes in that area of the road rang in the month of September, just as traffic increases at the end of summer.

Traffic lights have been reactivated in the area, and Chateauguay police have been there to help traffic for a few weeks now, and it has helped make things move a lot better.

“But, a lot of people are still trying to avoid that area,” said David Lahache, transportation coordinator for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK).

That is what has led to the increase in traffic everywhere.

“We do see an increase on Route 207 in both directions. We see an increase on the Old Chateauguay Road (OCR) in both directions, and this is at all times of the day. It’s not just a morning rush hour issue or afternoon rush hour issue. It’s basically around the clock. Everybody is avoiding St. Jean Baptiste,” said Lahache.

As someone who lives on the OCR, Lahache has had a front row ticket to the change.

“In the beginning of the year, when everybody gets used to their schedule, it’s usually around 5, 5:30 a.m. but now we actually have cars coming in at 4 or 4:30 a.m. which are all heading towards the bridge,” said Lahache.

“I’m up at that time, so sometimes I just open the curtains and look out the window, drink my coffee and look at the cars and trucks coming through.”

Because of the increase in traffic, more severe mitigation measures have now been put in place. The announcement came on Wednesday evening that the entrance to Route 207 from Highway 30 would be closed to all traffic from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Furthermore, entry into Kahnawake by way of the OCR would require non-locals to provide proof of employment on the territory during those hours.

Council chief Ryan Montour said, during the announcement, that these measures were coming as a direct consequence of the construction work happening outside the community.

“This is a response to numerous community complaints that our offices have been receiving, including Peacekeepers, the Public Safety Division, and also the office of the Mohawk Council of chiefs,” said Montour.

“I do believe that safety is being compromised, so we have a duty and honour to protect our residents on the 207.”

Indeed, drivers treating the 207 as a 70 KM/H zone instead of a 50 KM/H zone are not out of the ordinary, and speeding by impatient drivers has been seen everywhere, Lahache said.

“People are speeding a little bit more, because they’re delayed,” said Lahache.

He said he has been monitoring traffic that comes in from Route 138 from Chateauguay, and it has been a flagrant issue ever since construction started.

“People are flying through, and I mean flying. It’s a 70 KM/H zone, and they’re doing like 110, 120 KM/H by the time they pass the cones. It’s ridiculous,” said Lahache.

“Up to this point, I think we’ve been really lucky that we haven’t had any serious incident.”

There is also the matter of the Kahnawake Peacekeepers’ resources, which have been strained by the continuous need to monitor incoming traffic. During the announcement, Peacekeepers’ spokesperson Kyle Zachary said that the goal is for Peacekeepers to return to other duties, to help community safety.

Work on the current site on St. Jean Baptiste and Industrial Boulevards is scheduled to last until 2027.

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