Over the past few weeks, congestion on the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge has been heaviest towards Vaudreuil-Dorion, and for safety reasons, the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD) has decided to open a third westbound lane only.

As of January 15, weather conditions permitting, a third lane of traffic will be accessible on the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge. However, this will be in the direction of Vaudreuil-Dorion only.

According to the ministry, "for road safety reasons, dynamic traffic management cannot be implemented. The space required to continue reinforcing the beams does not allow for an increase in the width of the traffic lanes at this time, which is a prerequisite for the implementation of dynamic management".

The new configuration will therefore be in force at all times, for at least a year. "To reopen any new traffic lanes, we estimate that at least one year of work on the beams, starting in November 2023, is required. A precise schedule cannot be provided at this time, as we are evaluating all options for accelerating the work," explains the team responsible for the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge maintenance and reconstruction project.

In the winter of 2023, when traffic lanes were also closed, the MTMD indicated that it was impossible to implement dynamic traffic management due to snow accumulation. We had to wait until autumn 2023 for dynamic management to be put in place, and this was short-lived.

Finally, MTMD confirms that the lowering of the speed limit to 60 km/h and increased surveillance, notably with photo and educational radars, will be maintained in order to make road users aware of the importance of slowing down in the construction zone.

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Île-aux-Tourtes bridge: one lane reopened, in westbound direction only