Traffic snarls are a certainty this summer. Plan your route accordingly, City of Montreal pleads

With another road construction season getting underway, City of Montreal officials are begging drivers to think ahead and plan their routes carefully to avoid major traffic jams.

Officials are encouraging commuters to check online tools, listen to traffic reports and take advantage of traffic-monitoring appswhen hitting the road, as there will be 34 major projects in the Montreal region that commuters should try to avoid.

"If you don't have time to plan your route at home, thenon the road, we are bringing you that information with those electronic billboards," said city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin at a Thursday morning news conference.

There will be alternate routes available, he said, and people should plan to take them.

"Montrealers have the perception that the roads are not in very good shape or in a good state, and I agree with that. The roads in Montreal are in pretty bad condition."

Some 50 per cent of the roads need repairs, and the aim is to do all that work over the span of a decade, he said.

"We're trying to minimize the impact, but we do have a lot of work to do," said Sabourin.

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Projects range from mere road resurfacing to a complete overhaul of underground infrastructure, as well as the continuing construction of thelight-rail network and repairs tobridges.

Mobility Montreal says all the players have worked together to try to mitigate the overall impact.

Projects are spaced out over the entire constructionseason. Some work will be done overnight or over weekends, and even during the construction holiday.There will be closures and lane reductions on key routes in and out of the city during certain times.

Some of the major projects include:

• le aux Tourtes Bridge: lane reduction from May to the end of the year.
• Viau Street between de Bellechasse and Beaubienstreets:closed until late August.
• La Fontaine Tunnel: repaving in both directions, with dates still to be announced.
• Jacques-Cartier Bridge: repaving, to be done in weekend blitzes.
• Saint-Hubert Street: complete closure between Jean Talon and St-Zotique Streets until 2020.
• Pie-IX Boulevard: lane reduction until 2022.
• Ville-Marie Tunnel: closures throughout the summer.