Third lane opens on Montreal's Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge

The Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge between Montreal and the western part of the Montérégie region is shown. (LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Peter McCabe)

A third lane is being reopened Monday on the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge between Montreal and the western part of the Montérégie region.

The Quebec Transport Ministry explains this comes after it completed work on a damaged portion of the slab.

There will now be two lanes headed toward Vaudreuil-Dorion and one to Montreal.

With the one-lane-per-direction configuration, authorities say congestion during the evening rush hour to the Montérégie was higher than during the morning rush hour to Montreal.

In addition, the evening rush hour was longer than the morning rush hour.

The ministry adds that the space required to continue reinforcing the beams does not allow for an increase in the width of traffic lanes, and therefore it cannot implement dynamic traffic management.

In addition, users will be required to have a valid travel pass to use train and bus services starting in February.

All exo bus routes in the La Presqu'Île sector, as well as routes 212 and 411 with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), remain free of charge for the month of January.

Users must ask for a ticket if they wish to make a transfer.

Commuters can continue boarding the exo 11 Vaudreuil-Hudson train line at the Hudson, Vaudreuil, Dorion, Pincourt, Île-Perrot, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and Baie-d'Urfé stations for free.

Riders boarding at any of these seven stations will continue to receive a free two-ride pass, including connections to the STM bus and Metro networks and the Réseau express métropolitain (REM).

The Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge, inaugurated in 1966, has undergone extensive work in recent years due to structural problems.

The Quebec Transport Ministry has announced that it plans to rebuild it over the next few years.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 15, 2024.