Residents losing patience with delays of new bridge on Ile Bizard
Ile Bizard's newly-elected mayor, Doug Hurley, is a retired police commander who says Montreal hasn't properly addressed how to manage traffic for the 18,000 people who live in his borough.
The city is building a new bridge to replace the current one, which has reached the end of its life. But the construction work has dramatically reduced traffic flow with no alternative route to reach the island.
"It basically means if you're a resident here between the hours of roughly 3:30 till 6:30 at night, you're going to be delayed 20 minutes to almost 50 minutes in traffic for about 300 yards, which is ridiculous," said
The Jacques-Bizard bridge is the only way to get on or off the island. A police officer at each end of the bridge now directs traffic but the mayor says it's no longer enough, especially for the safety of pedestrians.
"The problem is car (drivers) are getting impatient. They cut between pedestrians," he said, adding that he fears a tragedy could be looming.
Hurley is asking the city to force the contractor to find a way to open two lanes during rush hour and to add more traffic police. Former borough councillor Robert Samoszewski, who used to be part of the Valerie Plante administration, agrees the city didn't live up to its promise of providing better traffic flow.
"I don't understand why they've dropped the ball. And essentially that's what it is to me. We need more police directing traffic," Samoszewski said.
Hurley says the police department regularly assigns cadets — who are police academy recruits without authority to issue tickets — and says aggressive motorists often ignore them. But the City of Montreal says it can’t do much right now.
The city’s engineers say opening two lanes is simply not an option. A major portion of the road work will be completed in late May, which will likely allow the opening of an additional lane.
But what’s even more frustrating for people from Ile Bizard is that the construction of the new bridge was supposed to be completed this year. Unfortunately, engineers stumbled upon a major problem while doing the work — they will have to reinstall a pillar, which is expected to delay the project by up to a year.
Local residents have had just about enough.
"With all this, we're thinking of selling the house and all that," said a mother of a teenager told CTV News as they walked out of a local store.
Businesses are also suffering because of traffic and detours. A bakery owner who would only identify himself as Giuseppe says the impact of the detours has reduced business in a nearby strip mall by up to 40 per cent.
But there's another headache looming. An international golf tournament, the President’s Cup, will take place in September at the Royal Montreal Golf Club of Montreal, located on Ile Bizard. It’s expected to attract golf fans, stars and celebrities from around the world.
"I won't only have 18,000 [residents]. I'll have 30,000 per day additional people coming on the island," said Hurley.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
About 1,000 wildfires confirmed so far this year: Here's a quick look at the situation in Canada
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Tavares scores in OT, rescues Canada from potential upset in 7-6 win over Austria
Captain John Tavares scored 15 seconds into overtime and saved his teammates some embarrassment as Canada held on for a 6-5 win over Austria on Tuesday at the world hockey championship.