The streets of the province are about to get a whole lot quieter.
Close to 150,000 construction workers went on vacation as of noon Friday, July 17.
It's the annual construction holiday in Quebec, which is a concept that's unique to this province.
The tradition dates back to 1971.
Because of that break, the last two weeks of July are the busiest vacation period of the year.
Most highway deaths during the construction holiday happen during the first three days.
That's why more than 100 extra Surete du Quebec officers will be out on the roads for the next two weeks.
They will running roadblocks to check for drunk drivers and people who aren't wearing seatbelts.
They will also man numerous radar traps to nab speeding drivers.
While it is the construction holiday, that does not apply to major roadwork on Quebec's highways.
That means part of the spaghetti snarl known as the Turcot interchange will be closed this weekend.
The Decarie southbound exit to the 20 west will be closed from 11:59 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
Drivers will be asked to detour via the de la Verendrye exit.
The Galipeault bridge will still have its usual delays, with only one lane open heading into Montreal until 11 p.m. Sunday.
There will also be overnight closures of exits and portions of highway 40 throughout the weeknd.
For more information on these and other road construction projects, go to the Transport Quebec website.
The latest press release from Transports Quebec, in French only, can be found here.
