Monster congestion on the Pierre-Laporte bridge

Around 07:20 on Saturday, the slowdown began near the Pierre-Laporte bridge, on the Quebec side.

At 9 a.m., an employee of the Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ), who was monitoring the situation on the spot, advised Le Soleil to take the Quebec bridge. According to him, crossing the Pierre Laporte Bridge would take an hour.

Three of the six lanes are blocked to traffic throughout the weekend on the Pierre-Laporte bridge. Only one lane is accessible southbound, while two are open northbound.

Throughout the morning the situation worsened. “We have a lot of congestion on Henri-IV heading south,” says Émilie Lord, spokesperson for the Quebec Ministry of Transport, around 10:30 a.m.

At that time, the congestion extended to the Quatre-Bourgeois exit. It was also beginning to be felt on the Duplessis highway.

“Crossing the bridge is definitely difficult. There are really a lot of people who are moving to the south coast,” says the MTQ spokesperson.

According to an employee interviewed by The Sun at the scene, congestion would peak on Saturday afternoon.

Worse than the first weekend

During the last phase of works on the Risi Bridge, congestion was less than expected and several motorists chose to avoid the area. This was not the case on Saturday morning.

“It is true that today we have noticed much more congestion than the first Saturday of work,” says Émilie Lord.

While the slowdown occurred on the south coast during the first stage of the works, it was rather the north coast that suffered on Saturday.

“People have decided to walk more at the end of the week, that’s for sure,” says the spokesperson.

“Avoid the area”

Émilie Lord advises motorists not to venture onto the Pierre-Laporte bridge.

Instead, he asks them to take the Quebec Bridge, where traffic was light Saturday morning. The ferry service, improved for the occasion, is also a good alternative solution.

“Be sure to bring gas so you don’t run out of gas during the crossing,” Ms. Lord reminds.