Second lane to be closed as of Monday on Île-aux-Tourtes bridge after crack discovered, bridge completely closed over the weekend
Posted November 24, 2023 2:09 pm.
Last Updated November 24, 2023 2:12 pm.
A second lane will be closing on the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge after a crack was discovered on the bridge last week.
The closure will come in effect on Monday at 5 a.m. The bridge will be completely closed over the weekend as they reconfigure the bridge. Tolls on Highway 30 will be suspended Saturday and Sunday, as a result of the closure.
As of Monday morning, three lanes will remain open and will be reconfigured regularly to have two lanes open during rush hour. During the morning rush hour, two lanes will be open towards Montreal. During evening rush hour two lanes will be open towards Vaudreuil.
The lanes will likely remain closed for a year as work is conducted.
Transport Quebec engineers said after inspecting the bridge they determined that some of the support beams cannot tolerate the weight, and the closure is necessary.
They are reassuring Quebecers that the lanes that remain open are safe – and if that changes they will not hesitate to close them.
87,000 people travel on the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge daily, it connects Montreal’s West Island and Vaudreuil-Soulanges in the Montérégie.
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Senneville, and Vaudreuil are the municipalities who will be most affected.
Quebec’s Transport Ministry says they have put together a work group to ensure those municipalities are catered to, that traffic is manageable, and detours are in place.
Preliminary work to build a new bridge is currently underway. The bridge is expected to be open to motorists by the end of 2026.