Following the announcement on November 24th regarding the closure of additional lanes on the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge by the Ministry of Transportation and Sustainable Mobility, messages have been pouring into my email inbox and social media from distressed individuals expressing anxiety about what the future holds for them in the coming months, if not years. These citizens, once again affected by recent events, feel a sense of helplessness and mounting anger towards the government regarding this situation.

It is undeniable that these recent announcements go far beyond a simple minor inconvenience for commuters in the region. This is a situation that may persist for several years. Workers, students, and those who must travel out of necessity are experiencing a significant impact.

Marie-Josée, a resident of Saint-Lazare, shared her experience on social media: "I had to go to downtown Montreal for work today. My departure from Montreal was at 3:30 PM, and I just arrived. It is 6:51 PM." A journey that should normally take no more than 45-50 minutes under normal circumstances.

Let's not forget that this is not the first time we have faced such closures. The chaos caused by complete emergency closures in May 2021 and the subsequent announcement of lane reductions at the end of 2022 highlight a recurring problem.

During the meeting of the 23 mayors of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC last January with Minister Geneviève Guilbault, where concerns were raised by elected officials about future closures, the silence spoke volumes - no emergency plan seemed ready to be put in place. This raises the question of how we arrived at the situation we find ourselves in once again today.

It should be noted that the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge, built in 1965, has been under close scrutiny since the detection of cracks in 2015 (Journal de Montréal, May 2021).

While the lack of action and leadership in this matter over the years is crucial to highlight, what we expect from our government are swift, concrete solutions, and effective mitigation measures to make this situation a bit more bearable for the citizens of Vaudreuil-Soulanges and all those who need to travel in the region.
Given the critical state of the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge known for years, one could have expected the government to have an emergency plan and mitigation measures ready to be implemented, similar to those for the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel project. It is difficult to understand why some regions seem more favored than others.

The mitigation measures announced so far are limited to the addition of a train during morning rush hours and another in the afternoon, accompanied by an additional early morning departure from Hudson. While mentions of having added bus routes circulate in various media through well-crafted ministry press releases, a clarification of the facts is needed. It is important to emphasize that no additional bus routes have been implemented so far.

I doubt that our citizens will find these modest measures sufficient and acceptable at this stage.

The total closure or even an extended partial closure of the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge could have detrimental effects not only on the regional economy but also on a provincial scale. With 87,000 vehicles crossing the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge every day, Highway 40 plays a crucial role in regional and national transportation, influencing the mobility of people and goods and contributing significantly to the economy.

Faced with these realities and persistent problems, it becomes imperative to implement concrete actions to prevent the worst-case scenario.

Furthermore, despite the ministry assuring the safety of the infrastructure, citizens question the reliability of the bridge in this context, as the fear of a disaster grows among the population, once again highlighting the need to prioritize and expedite the construction of the new bridge.

We urgently implore our provincial government to treat this as a matter of the highest priority by swiftly addressing the concerns of municipalities and citizens in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

Geneviève Lachance
Mayor of the City of Saint-Lazare