New $2.3B Île-aux-Tourtes bridge to begin opening by end of 2026, Quebec government says

The Quebec government has released its $2.3-billion plan to replace the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge with two distinct structures that will allow for six lanes of traffic going to and from Montreal's West Island.

The new bridge will be paid for entirely by the provincial government, and officials announced Monday it will gradually begin opening by the end of 2026, starting with the first structure which will have five lanes of traffic that will be managed according to rush hour.

The second structure is scheduled to open at the end of 2027.

Along with the three lanes going west and three more going east, there will be a bidirectional, multi-use path, the government says in a news release.

The planning process, from design selection to financing, has been shortened by about 18 months through schedule optimization and "exceptional measures provided by the law concerning the acceleration of certain infrastructure projects," said a news release.

Some preparatory work involving deforestation and drilling necessary for the design of the new bridge has already begun, and construction is scheduled to start by the end of the summer, it said.

The Île-aux-Tourtes bridge, which has been in service since 1965, is used daily by 87,000 vehicles, 10 per cent of which are trucks.

Over the last few decades, efforts to maintain the bridge have been ongoing, with more rigorous efforts since 2016. In May 2021, the government closed the bridge without warning, causing traffic chaos. Last year, a lane was closed due to cracks in a support beam, but the government insists the bridge remains safe.

Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault said in a statement that the government is doing everything it can "to restore a fifth traffic lane on the current bridge. Until construction of the new infrastructure is complete, we will remain in solution mode to optimize traffic on the original bridge."

Just over $376 million is earmarked for maintaining the existing bridge before it is decommissioned.

The dismantling of the existing bridge will be completed in 2029, while the final stages of the project, including various landscaping, will be completed in 2030.

To mitigate the impact of this required configuration during bridge reinforcement work, the Transport Ministry has temporarily created a reserved lane in the left lane of Highway 40, reducing the time required for buses, taxis, emergency vehicles and carpoolers to reach the bridge.

The government is also financing mitigation measures for public transportation in the area. Nearly $1.9 million is expected to be spent in 2023 to fund more departures on key bus lines, including regular bus services and express lines.

Construction of the new bridge will be mainly carried out north of the existing structure. Traffic will be maintained on the current bridge during the work, which will have a limited impact on traffic, the government says.

The Île-aux-Tourtes bridge serves as a link between the Montreal island, Vaudreuil-Dorion and other rapidly growing off-island suburbs.

"We are taking a decisive step to provide the region with a signature structure that lives up to its aspirations, sustaining travel between the two shores along the axis of Highway 40," said Suzanne Roy, minister responsible for the Montérégie region, in the release.

Patrick Bousez, mayor of the municipality of Rivière-Beaudette, attended the news conference Monday when the announcement was made by government officials.

"We have been waiting a long time for this," he said. "It's been at least 10 years that the bridge has been under nonstop construction."

Now, he said, there are still more years to come as people wait for the new bridge to be built. 

The announcement doesn't answer all the demands municipalities in the area have been asking for, such as improved public transit options, Bousez said.

But overall it is good news, he added, and the rush to get the first phase open by 2026 is a welcomed goal to people who are tired of the daily traffic jams.

WATCH | Transport Ministry video shows what new bridge will look like: