construction junction

there's a saying that in canada, we only have 2 seasons: winter and construction. this couldn't be more true than in montreal.

i have the ability to avoid using my car 95% of the time. i can ride my bike to work in the same amount of time (or take the metro in winter). everything i need in the city is easily accessible on foot, by metro or on bixi. but every now and again i get stuck.

today, for example. i had a dentist appointment (to my great joy). unfortunately for me, my dentist is neither in a convenient location to my house, nor to my job. in fact, it's in the exact opposite direction from work. as such, getting to the appointment in the morning before i head to work requires a car because there is no do-able way to get to work from this location in the time allotted. so it was with mild hesitation that i started the car this morning and drove off.

one of the things i find most challenging about driving in this city (other then the actual drivers, of course) is the massive amount of construction occurring at all times. it is ridiculous. truly. to be fair, the city is in such a state of disrepair that there needs to be massive amounts of construction but it still feels excessive.

as i drove to the dentist, i was backed up in traffic (at 7:30am mind you) at a variety of streets because of the constructions signs everywhere. i say signs because i never really see the construction crews in the city. (part of me thinks it's just a conspiracy thing- they put the signs up so we think they're working but in actual fact they're not.). when i left the appointment i had to take the 40 - possibly the worst highway around. there is construction on every major interchange, which is a problem because well, there's construction on every major interchange. it doesn't make for a "smooth flow" of traffic i'll say. instead i find myself bumper to bumper at all times of day (and i mean that literally. i've been stuck in traffic jams at 6am, 11am, 8pm and midnight, weekdays and weekends). this is mostly because 4 lanes turn into 1 and turn offs that used to exist are blocked but is made worse by the fact that 1- the exits that are blocked only get announced as your pulling up to them and 2- i live in montreal and we all know what drivers are like here (yes, i said it).

the thing i find truly amazing is how construction crews can be working on these areas for so long. the exit to my house from the 40 (which happens to be the major interchange to a north-south highway) has been completely fucked for months (and months and months...). i feel confident in saying that construction started significantly before i moved to montreal and it's nowhere near being completed. nowhere. at all. and the traffic it causes backs up for a few kilometers at all times of day.

or -exhibit b-  the interchange for the 20 and the 40. if you want to leave montreal and head west, good luck to you. there are 2 ways out of the city and both of them cause significant headaches and traffic delays....because they merge into one highway and at that exact, precise location, construction has been happening for a solid 2 years and is planned for another 2 (which means 4).  part of me feels like quebec just wants to say "who goes to ontario anyhow? damn anglos" and be done with it but knowing that a large part of their tourism comes from the west means they have to suck it up and fix it. so they'll do it. but they won't like it. and neither will you.

what i really don't understand though is why, given the state of the roads (read: dire) and the limited time of year to work (read: minimal), are there not road crews working 'round the clock and on weekends? it doesn't seem that hard. less interruption to traffic if you work at night, more ability to get shit done. seems obvious to me. and it seems to work like that in most other areas of the world that have limited season. but that's just it isn't it? it works in other areas of the world, so it must be done differently in quebec (more on that some other time...)

all this to say that montreal is in a perpetual state of construction that has no end in sight. just orange cones as far as the eye can see...
xo