Day Forty Six
We departed from Ottawa this morning and headed for Quebec City. Just prior to leaving we plugged the new destination into our phones to find the most direct route. We had two choices to get past Montreal. Travel north of the St. Lawrence or drop down to the south side of the St. Lawrence. Both routes appeared to travel around the outskirts of Montreal, the north was a few minutes shorter in travel time, so we picked north.
Leaving Ottawa and getting onto the highways was a breeze. The day was turning out to be a causal travel day. The traffic from Ontario to Quebec was heavy, and I needed to plan my lane changes a little more in advance, but all was smooth. As we approached Montreal we discovered real quick that we picked the wrong route.
The freeway we were travelling was lifted on cement pillars for miles across Montreal. It had three lanes when we entered and the traffic quickly became congested. Further into the freeway there was construction that encroached onto the outer lanes, pushing the vehicles on each side of us a mere foot from the RV. As we rounded a bend, there was a two lane ramp coming up and merging onto the freeway, this created complete chaos. Cars and rigs were everywhere. The speed on the freeway was around fifty kilometers as people shuffled lanes, vehicles came a close as six inches on both sides of the RV.
The saving grace of the whole ordeal was I did not have to change lanes. I stayed in my lane and just hoped to hell someone did not sideswipe us. Once we left Montreal the roads become calmer and the balance of the drive was uneventful. We made to the KOA on the outskirts of Quebec City around five in the afternoon and enjoyed a stiff drink.
Montreal is Canada’s most clogged city and ranks 23rd world wide for traffic problems.
