The Samuel‑De Champlain Bridge and the Victoria Bridge will be closed to all vehicular traffic on Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30, as road work proceeds on both structures. The closures apply to cars, trucks and buses, forcing drivers to seek alternate routes for the two‑day period.
The Samuel‑De Champlain Bridge, the primary link between Montreal and the South Shore, will be inaccessible for the entire weekend. Likewise, the historic Victoria Bridge, which also carries traffic across the Saint Lawrence River, will see its lanes shut down for the same dates. Authorities have scheduled the work to take advantage of the weekend lull in traffic, but the timing still impacts commuters who rely on these crossings to reach downtown Montreal, the surrounding suburbs and the South Shore municipalities.
Motorists are advised to use the nearby Champlain Bridge, the Jacques‑Cartier Bridge or the Honoré‑Mercier Bridge as detours, depending on their origin and destination. Public transit operators have warned that bus routes that normally use the closed bridges may be rerouted or experience delays, and they are urging riders to check service updates before traveling. Freight operators have also been asked to plan for longer travel times and possible restrictions on load distribution across alternative crossings.
The road work is part of ongoing maintenance and improvement projects aimed at extending the service life of both bridges and ensuring safety standards are met. While the specific tasks have not been disclosed, the closures underscore the importance of the infrastructure to daily travel patterns in the Greater Montreal area. Commuters who can adjust their schedules or postpone non‑essential trips are encouraged to do so, as the weekend shutdown is expected to cause congestion on the remaining river crossings.
The two‑day suspension of vehicular traffic on the Samuel‑De Champlain and Victoria bridges is a temporary measure, and both structures are slated to reopen to vehicles on Monday, August 31, when the road work is completed.