Exasperated by the management blunders surrounding the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge, several citizens have taken to social networks to raise the idea of filing a legal action against Quebec. Not a bad idea, according to a lawyer consulted by Néomédia. 

"In my opinion, there's a case to be made for the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge. It would obviously take experts to analyze the whole file, but there is indeed a case here that would justify a collective legal action," said the lawyer specializing in municipal and administrative law, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

This would not be the first time a lawsuit has been brought against the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD). In 2017, the MTMD, along with the Ville de Montréal, the Ministère de la Sécurité publique and the Sûreté du Québec, were the target of a class action lawsuit following the mess on Highway 13 during the snowstorm of March 14, 2017. 

For the little story, on the night of March 14 to 15, 2017, two trucks stuck in the snow blocked nearly 300 vehicles on autoroute 13 south near Lachine. The heavy accumulation of snow made traffic impossible. Some motorists spent the night in their vehicles, while others simply abandoned their vehicles to go home.

The class-action suit claimed $2,500 for each of the victims, who, it should be remembered, won the case.

"The Île-aux-Tourtes bridge case is certainly a complex one. There are a lot of elements to consider. Did the government really do everything it could to mitigate the inconvenience? How many people were affected? How long did it take?" added the legal expert, who believes that the process, however long it may take, will be worthwhile. 

"The most difficult thing in cases like this, which affect so many people, is to find the people who want to go to the front and see the process through to the end. It would take a huge mobilization."