(Quebec) Preparatory work for the construction project of the new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge, in the west of the island of Montreal, will begin next week and reserved lanes will be offered to certain users.
The Ministry of Transport specifies that there will first be targeted deforestation and geotechnical drilling operations. Activities related to the relocation of public service equipment are also planned, which will allow the design of the new bridge to continue.
The Government of Quebec will entrust a company or a group of companies with the preparation of plans and specifications as well as the carrying out of the work. The signing of the contract in this sense is expected this spring and it is only then that the schedule of work and the cost of the project can be specified.
Earlier this week, The Press claimed that the bill would be around 2 billion.
Reserved lanes, accessible to emergency services, buses, carpoolers and taxis, have been temporarily set up on Autoroute 40 between boulevards Morgan and des Anciens-Combattants, in the direction of Vaudreuil-Dorion, and between the interchange with Highway 30 and the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge, towards Montreal. Increased police surveillance is expected over the next few days to ensure compliance with the conditions of use of the reserved lanes.
The Île-aux-Tourtes bridge was put into service in 1965. Nearly 87,000 vehicles use it every day, including about 10% trucks, according to 2019 data.