Closures on Highway 40, Mercier bring morning traffic to a halt

Drivers in the Montreal area were subject to majorgridlock Fridaymorningaftertruck collisions to the east and west temporarily shut down eastbound lanes onHighway 40.

The Mercier Bridge, already restricted to one lane of traffic each way, was also completely closed for a police operation just as morning rush hour got into full swing.

The bridge reopened at around 8:50 a.m.

InVaudreuil-Dorion, Highway 40 eastbound was closed just before the le Aux Tourtes Bridge at around 5:30 a.m. after a truck hita viaduct.

The highway reopened at around 8:30 a.m.

That section of roadway, located between Highway 30 and Des Chenaux Road,was scheduled to open this morning at 5 a.m. after having been closed for a couple of days for repairs.

Transport Ministry spokespersonMilaRoicould not say if anyone was injured.

Repentignycrash causes delays

Highway 40 in Repentignyreopened just before 5 p.m., almost 12 hours after it closed due to a collision involving four trucks.

Eastbound motorists weredetoured to the Industrial Boulevard exit to reconnect with the highway at Route 341.

The closure led to several kilometres of Montreal-bound congestion for most of the day.

Highway parking lot

Richard Dawson started his usually 45-minute commute to Lachine at just before 6 a.m. He ended up being stuck in traffic for more than two hours.

Dawson spoke with CBC from his impromptu parking spot as he attempted to access Highway 40 inVaudreuil-Dorion via a detour.

"We're just sitting here," he said at 8:20 a.m.

"I've moved about 100, maybe 200 metres in the past hour. I'll stop the car, put on the parking brake, turn off the car for 15-20 minutes at a time and just sit here."