Maze of weekend closures from Turcot to Formula E

Fireworks, festivals, Formula E and road closures thanks to construction on the Turcot interchange will make this weekend extra arduous for drivers.

Taking the bus, Metro, or a Bixi will be free, however.

No matter whichway you choose to get around, it's best to give yourself some extra time to travel this weekend.

Formula E closures in the east

Many roads will be completely closed near the Formula E course inthe eastern part of downtown.

Thiscity websitehas mapsshowing which streets will be closed or restricted throughSunday.

The race is also affecting access to the eastbound and westbound Ville-Marie Expressway.

Exits 6 and 7offthe eastboundVille-Marieareclosed andwon't reopen until early Monday morning.

• How to get around Montreal as Formula E race day approaches
• Take a tour of theTurcotInterchangeworksite

Detours are marked for those trying to access the JacquesCartierBridge from the expressway (viaNotre-Dame Street, FrontenacStreet, deMaisonneuveBoulevard East and PapineauAvenue).

The following streets are completely closed by Friday at 7 p.m.:

• BerriStreet between Ste-CatherineStreet andVigerAvenue.
• Amherst Street betweenRen-LvesqueBoulevard andSaint-Antoine Street.
• Ren-Lvesque Boulevard between St-Denis and Dorionstreets.
• Streets betweenRen-Lvesque and de Maisonneuveboulevards are only open to local traffic from BerriStreet to PapineauAvenue.

Turcot closures in the west

Construction on the Turcotinterchangethis weekend means extra street closures starting late Friday night and reopeningMonday at 5 a.m.:

• Full closure of the ramp leading from the Highway 138 eastbound to the Highway 20 ramp eastbound.
• Closure of one lane of Highway 20 eastbound between Saint-Pierre and the Montreal West interchanges.
• Full closure of Highway 720 westbound between the Ville-MarieExpresswayandSt-Antoine Street West.
• Full closure of Highway 136 eastboundbetween the Turcot and the entrance of Cathedral and Notre-Dame West streets.

Pedestrian-only streets

Both cars and bicycles won't be allowed starting Friday in the area around the Quartier des spectaclesbecause of outdoor concerts in the area.

• St-Urbain Street will be closed between Ontario and De Montigny streets from 9 p.m. to midnight.
• Parking at Place-des-Arts will be inaccessible to vehicles starting at 9 p.m. from Friday to Sunday.
• Further east, Ste-CatherineStreet between St-Hubert Street and PapineauAvenue is pedestrian-only all summer.
• Ste-CatherineStreet is also closed for Just For Laughs between St-Laurent Boulevard and Jeanne-ManceStreet.

Fireworks

On Saturday at 10p.m., theFestival de l'International des Feux LotoQubecis taking place at Parc Jean-Drapeau with England's entry, Gunpowder and Greasepaint.

• Jacques Cartier Bridge will be closed between 8:30 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. Saturday.

Free public transit and Bixi

To offset some of the headache of getting around downtown this weekend, the STM is offering free Metro and bus service starting at 5 a.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Monday. Bikes,however, are not allowed in the Metro this weekend.

Half-hour Bixirides are also free this weekend, from 6 a.m. Saturday to 11:59 p.m.Sunday.

• Bixi riders can now use OPUS cards to pay for rides