Turcot Interchange - History

History

The interchange was projected as part of the first Montreal highway in 1958 and planned to bind it to the Decarie freeway, also designed at the same time. Construction started in October 1965 and Turcot was built in time for the 1967 Montreal Expo, along with other big projects such as the Montreal Metro.

Upon its erection, an old railroad yard belonging to the Grand Trunk Company (today merged into Canadian National) served as location for the interchange and was shortened by 25%, which required the demolition of a roundhouse. In 1969, upon reviewing the situation, city authorities concluded that the project abused of unnecessary space and could have co-existed perfectly alongside the buildings that were otherwise demolished (including some 20 residences).

When originally constructed, the interchange was built high above the ground as a dramatic demonstration of Montreal's status as a modern global metropolis and to accommodate ships passing through the Lachine Canal.

The construction of the freeway junction was said to be rushed during the 1960s boom, with a lack of drainage and permeable concrete, and is now in poor condition, with pieces of concrete slabs falling from overpass structures.

In 2000, more than 300,000 vehicles used the interchange on a daily basis, far more than what it was designed to carry (50,000-60,000 vehicles ).

Since 2010, the interchange became subject to major repairing of the most heavily-accessed ramps. During the summer of 2011, over 2.7 km worth of lanes were restored, repaved and became safely accessible for larger vehicles. The repairing is currently scheduled to continue into 2013.