Given the critical situation at the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge, where there are only two lanes, Quebec is officially starting construction work on the new structure. This is expected to be partially operational in 2026, but the government has made no secret of the fact that it wants to speed up the pace.
Posted at 10:26 am.
This was confirmed by the office of Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault on Monday after the latest environmental reports from the federal government were available in the past few days.
So far, the work has taken place in the “preparatory phase”; This means that the construction site was limited to tasks such as deforestation or the movement of goods. The construction phase on the construction site will begin this Monday. The first step is the filling in water, which will be carried out in the coming weeks in preparation for the installation of the piles for the future new bridge.
Quebec originally planned to begin this work during the summer season, but delays related to permits took longer than expected. “There, the contractor is fully aware that we want to accelerate the construction site as quickly as possible, without of course compromising the safety of the workers,” assured the minister’s communications director, Maxime Roy, on the subject.
This project, whose costs have increased several times and which, according to La Presse in April, is now estimated at 2.3 billion, consists of the construction of a new bridge north of the current infrastructure, which will subsequently be dismantled.
In the future, there will be three lanes for cars and trucks in each direction of travel, as well as a four-meter-long shoulder that can be used by buses. A “multi-purpose path” of the same width should also be created for bicycles and pedestrians. Ultimately, the new bridge will be around ten meters wider than the current bridge.
According to the current timetable, the latter should be partially operational by December 2026, with five of six tracks expected to be functional. However, we still have to wait until December 2027 to be able to use the six tracks of the new structure.
I’m just thinking about it
The government also says it is considering decongesting the current Île-aux-Tourtes bridge, which will have only one lane in each direction for several weeks. In fact, two lanes have been closed in quick succession in recent days because damage to the structure was discovered.
In the short term, “the bridge will remain safe,” assure people close to the transport minister. “We closed it in 2021 and would not hesitate to close it if there was a problem or even ban truck traffic if necessary,” Mr Roy said.
Since Monday, train services on Exo line 11 have already been completely free for passengers boarding at Hudon, Vaudreuil, Dorion, Pincourt and Île-Perrot stations. In addition, additional departures were added to the train timetable, as well as around a hundred bus departures that were already on lines 7, 10, 35 and 40 managed by exo.
This weekend, at the request of local MP Marilyne Picard, several meetings were held between Minister Guilbault and elected community representatives to determine further remedial measures. “The whole question of lighting the city’s Boulevard 20, we’re looking at it and looking at how we can make traffic flow more smoothly,” says Maxime Roy.
In an interview last week, independent Vaudreuil MP Marie-Claude Nichols also called for Quebec to engage with those responsible for applications like Waze and Google Maps to avoid “a new nightmare” in the neighborhoods. “Last time we saw it, the applications suggested driving through small residential streets to save time. It had a terrible impact on neighborhoods,” she said.
A request has also been made to the government to ensure that the two lanes that remain open continue in the same direction during rush hours. This raises security issues, but an analysis is ongoing. Discussions are also taking place with the Trucking Association (ACQ) and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
We at the Ministry of Transport also remind you that car traffic on the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge usually decreases by an average of 10,000 cars per month in December and January. This decline should help stabilize the situation, it is said.
To reduce congestion caused by this closure, MTMD is encouraging motorists to prioritize public transportation or take Highway 20. For their part, truck drivers are being asked to take a detour via Highway 30, with the toll being free for the duration of the closure.
With Tommy Chouinard