Aging Mercier Bridge to get new addition, but timeline unknown
Quebec estimates the project will cost more than $100 million
The 82-year-old Honoré Mercier Bridge, which links Montreal to the South Shore, will be getting a major facelift.
On Sunday, the Quebec government announced it will build a new structure parallel to the existing the bridge that will add two lanes of traffic as well a bike path.
The current bridge — erected in 1934 — no longer meets modern road and traffic standards, said Pierre Moreau, MNA for Châteauguay and chair of the Treasury Board.
"The upkeep is too expensive," Moreau said at a news conference.
The construction project is estimated to cost more than $100 million. Quebec shares jurisdiction of the bridge with the federal government.
Truck drivers and cyclists kept in mind
Quebec says the new addition will allow the province to lift its current ban on overloaded trucks that use the bridge and will restore the full width of the road.
The new bike path will link up with paths located on either side of the bridge.
There were few details on when construction on the new addition will begin and the completion date is still unknown, but Transport Minister Laurent Lessard said he thought it would happen within two to five years.
With files from Antoni Nerestant