When will work on Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge end? It's 'complicated,' says Transport Ministry
The discovery of major cracks on the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge is causing trouble for off-island commuters, with traffic down from three to two lanes in each direction.
According to Transport Quebec, it's difficult to say when conditions on the bridge will return to normal.
"It's really complicated for us to give a precise date of when we will finalize the work," spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun told CTV News.
Bensadoun said it's possible repair work will still be required after the project's contract ends in 2025.
"Since this is an infrastructure that is pretty old, we have to maintain it and we have to continue doing work."
The nearly 60-year-old bridge, part of Highway 40, connects the Island of Montreal to the Vaudreuil-Dorion suburb.
Drivers say what used to be a quick commute is now a slow and frustrating drive.
Jeanna drives a school bus for children with disabilities. She asked that her last name be omitted for job-related reasons.
"The traffic has become just an absolute nightmare. We're stuck for like 45 minutes," she said.
She said the adjustment has been difficult for her passengers.
"It's hard enough for any children, but these children, obviously, they have disabilities, and they can't fully comprehend traffic," she said. "They get frustrated and upset because they want to go."
Lane changes were first implemented in June of 2022. Until recently, a third lane was alternatingly opened in one direction and then the other, depending on the time of day.
Jeanna hopes the bridge can return to this system, rather than keeping two lanes open in both directions at all times.
In an effort to ease congestion, last weekend, the Transport Ministry established a reserved lane for buses leading up to and heading from the bridge.
But the reserved lanes don't apply to the bridge itself, meaning buses must merge into regular traffic in order to cross.
And Jeanna says many drivers aren't following the new rule.
"Nobody's respecting it," she said. "And if you honk your horn at them, they look at you and they laugh at you. I've even been given the finger."
She wants the province to better enforce the reserved lane with signage and ticketing.
NEW BRIDGE IN THE WORKS
Transport Quebec spokesperson Bensadoun noted that the government plans to start work on a new bridge this year.
She said the project will take at least five-and-a-half years to complete.
In May of 2021, the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge was placed under temporary emergency closure after its reinforcement bars were damaged by drilling work.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.