Ramp closures cause huge traffic backlog
Motorists turned Highway 138 into a four-lane highway during the weekend, taking up the bus lane and the shoulder to try and get around other cars toward the Mercier Bridge. Courtesy David Lahache
While the work done on the Mercier Bridge over the weekend may have finished almost 12 hours early, it is safe to say the first of a three weekend “blitz” of work did not go smoothly for motorists and Kahnawake residents alike.
The two ramps to the bridge on the Kahnawake side were closed last weekend to repair joints and barriers, with traffic backed up towards the bridge, but also towards St. Constant on Highway 132. Delays were reported to be upwards of two hours.
That traffic also affected Kahnawa’kehró:non in town, as drivers attempted to get around the gridlock as best as they could, resulting in many going through the streets of the community and causing traffic there, too.
David Lahache, transportation coordinator for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK), explained that a few factors were at play: the severity of the closure, the age and capacity of the road network itself, and the unwillingness of many drivers to make alternate plans.
The “detour within a detour,” as Lahache called it, did not help matters. The ramp towards St. Constant was closed, meaning drivers coming off the bridge and going in that direction had to use the exit towards Chateauguay and then do a U-turn via Highway 138, which was already backed up by drivers going to Montreal who had to go on Highway 132 to access the one available ramp.
Despite the closure being known publicly for days, many still chose to try the Mercier instead of other options on the South Shore.
“We have to remember that this bridge has been this way for many years. There’s been construction almost every weekend during the summer and fall and spring for God knows how long now,” said Lahache.
“It may be more of a pain to go around to the Champlain Bridge and use Highway 30, but the travel time would probably be less for that person going around than sitting in that traffic.”
He strongly recommended that drivers avoid the Mercier Bridge any time there is work scheduled.
On Sunday, Lahache was on the scene to see what was going on. There, he saw drivers turn Highway 138 into a four-lane highway by using the bus lane and the shoulder to try and get around cars.
“That was the first time I’ve ever seen that,” he said.
Kyle Zachary, spokesperson for the Kahnawake Peacekeepers, said that many more officers than expected had to be called in to try and help mitigate the situation, as well as deal with some of the incidents that occurred due to the heavy traffic.
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“Things like these, you think you have a good plan in place that could mitigate the traffic, and once it’s put into practice, you see where things are lacking, where you can do things better,” said Zachary.
Lahache said that the MCK is working with Public Safety, the Kahnawake Peacekeepers, and Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated to make the situation better for the next ramp closures, scheduled for the weekend of June 13-14, to put in a new plan and avoid a similar gridlock.
