How to get around Montreal as Formula E race day approaches

With a dayto go until the Formula E event, road closures are in full swing and getting around the eastern part of downtown Montreal is nothing short of an adventure.

The $24-million event comes to Montreal for the first time this weekend, July 29 and 30.

In addition to the maze of city streets around the racetrack that are closed, the race is affecting access to the eastbound and westbound Ville-Marie Expressway.

The track itself, bounded byRen-LvesqueBoulevard to the north,PapineauAvenue to the east, Notre-Dame Street to the south andBerriStreet to the west, isoff-limits until Monday.

The good news is that it will be free to take the STM or a Bixi on the days of the race, Mayor Denis Coderrehas announced. The STM has increased its capacity to accommodate Metro travellers.

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And with a number of events aside from Formula E taking place this weekend Just For Laughs shows, the fireworks show at LaRondeSaturday night,Kooland the Gang at Place des FestivalsSundaythe city recommends people either bikeor use public transportation if they're trying to get around.

• Click here to see a larger version of this map

For cyclists

Take note, some bike paths will be rerouted:

• Until Aug.4, the bike path on Ren-Lvesquebetween Cartier and Berri streets will be closed. Cyclists will be redirected to the bidirectional path on de Maisonneuve.
• Also until Aug.4, the bike path on Berri Street between Vigerand de MaisonneuveBoulevard will be closed. Cyclists will be redirected to the bidirectional path on St-Urbain Street.

Some Bixi stations will be unavailable, so users shouldcheck the app to make sure they know where they can parktheir bikes.

For pedestrians

For residents and others who are on foot in the area, there are two pedestrian walkways in order to get across the racetrack.

• One,at Ren-Levesqueand St-Hubert Street, is wheelchair accessible.
• The other is at the corner ofAmherst and St-Antoine streets.

For drivers

If you have to drive, the city has partnered with the app Waze, a free GPS navigation app for iOS andAndroid,to include road closures starting this weekend so people don't accidentally try to drive into the racetrack.

Exits 6 and 7offthe eastboundVille-Marieareclosed andwon't reopen until early Monday morning. To head westbound, the first available entrance is the one atLucien L'AllierStreet the rest areclosed.

Detours are marked for those trying to access the JacquesCartierBridge from the expressway (viaNotre-Dame, FrontenacStreet, deMaisonneuveBoulevard East and Papineau).

Thiscity websitehas maps showing which streets will be closed or restrictedthrough to Sunday.

Parking in the neighbourhood around where the race is being held is largely reserved for residents only, but for those who want to drive to Old Montreal, which isn't too far from the race site,there are more than 500 paid parking spaces at the Clock Tower Pier.

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Police officers will be managing traffic at all affected intersections, and there are a lot of them,over the next few days.