MONTREAL - For the first time since June traffic is flowing over both sides of the Mercier Bridge.

The southbound span was suddenly shut June 14 to address structural weaknesses on 10 gusset plates, and heavy trucks were banned from using the bridge back in December of last year because of the concerns the guard rails could not support their weight.

But starting Tuesday morning both cars and trucks were allowed on the older portion of the bridge, just in time for what is traditionally the week with the heaviest traffic in Montreal.

"Yesterday the report prepared by the engineer/specialists said that the work has been done," said Transport Minister Sam Hamad.

However despite the re-opening the bridge will not be running at full capacity. One lane of the outbound span will remain closed.

"The big rush. The first day after Labour Day is always a very busy day," said Transport Quebec spokesman Mario St-Pierre.

Meanwhile work continues on the Turcot Interchange with lane closures slated for Tuesday, while the Highway 40 and Laurentian Autoroute will have lane closures until next spring.

In an effort to cope with delays within the city, the Société de Transport de Montréal has added 1,500 bus departures per week to its network.

And the AMT, often criticized for poor notifications when trains are stopped or delayed, is giving commuters with cell phones and smart phones new ways to find out about route delays.

The transport agency has a new mobile site accessible at m.amt.qc.ca

People who prefer to use text messages can also send a message to 511AMT (511268) with the first seven letters of their train stop to get the next three departure times.

"So basically, the message is this: if you haven't tried public transit, maybe you should," said STM vice-chairman Marvin Rotrand. "You might be very pleasantly surprised."


Villa Maria station reopens

NDG residents who rely on public transit have one thing going in their favour. On Tuesday morning the Villa Maria metro station at the corner of Decarie Blvd. and Monkland Blvd. reopened.

The metro stop shut down in early June so construction crews could work on a $1.9 million refurbishing project.

The street-level entrance had been subject to significant deterioration because of road salt tracked in by commuters, so crews added a waterproof membrane, and refinished the stairways and escalator.