Long-term Montreal lane closures in tunnels explained [Video]

Anyone who drives through the Ville-Marie or Viger tunnel on Route 136 heading east or west will know that they will not be able to access the left lane in either direction.

The left lanes have been and will be closed for a while, but drivers will rarely see a work crew doing anything in either lane.

The reason for the closure is that a long-term, multi-billion-dollar renovation project involving multiple phases is underway.

Currently, workers need to access a structure in the middle of the two tunnels.

“In the daytime there’s construction on the St. Laurent overpass,” said Quebec Transport Ministry (MTQ) spokesperson Louis-Andre Bertrand. “Since you can’t make a lane closure in the tunnel, that’s why we close it at the beginning of the tunnel.”

Workers need to use the lane to safely access the central pillar on the St. Laurent Boulevard overpass, and each span of highway …