The expansion work on Highway 20 was undertaken with the aim of streamlining traffic in this busy area, but the work which began in June 2023 causes slowdowns that are sometimes exasperating for drivers. In an interview with the newspaper La Relève, the minister responsible for Montérégie, Suzanne Roy, announced for the first time that the third lane will be open in December.
“We are doing work on Highway 20 in the east direction, and starting in December, the third lane which is under construction will be open for 9 km. It will even clear the 20/30 interchange, it will give a chance, because we know that it is so congested with the work and even before the work,” she declared, specifying that this open portion would go approximately up to ‘at exit 109. The minister added that, next year, the new portion of the work over approximately 4 kilometers up to the Arthur-Branchaud bridge will subsequently be opened.
This third lane will make traffic on the 20 more fluid and should even have impacts in Sainte-Julie. Let us recall on this subject that, during the public meeting of June 11, the question of traffic during rush hours on Chemin du Fer-à-Cheval was raised, in particular at the intersection of Boulevard Nobel.
The mayor, Mario Lemay, explained that with the work to widen the A-20, we noticed much denser traffic in this sector of Sainte-Julie than in 2023. We also observed a diversion of traffic approaching the intersection of highways 30 and 20, which is very busy. At this location, drivers rather “cut” through Saint-Bruno via rang des 25 and arrived via Chemin du Fer-à-Cheval in Sainte-Julie, which increased traffic in the city during rush hours.
