New Île-aux-Tourtes bridge | The project is “aberrant” for public transportation, says a mayor

The lack of lanes reserved for public transport on the future new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge is “aberrant”, the mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion worried on Monday, when the Minister of Transport visited the construction site having just just being launched.

“It is not normal that in 2023 we will have a bridge without a lane dedicated to public transport. […] It’s aberrant and it’s inconceivable,” insisted Mayor Guy Pilon, after a press conference by Geneviève Guilbault this Monday.

According to the plans of the Ministry of Transport, the bridge will in fact only be made up of “wide shoulders” of around 4 meters which can be used by buses. In other words, buses will not have a dedicated lane per se, much like the model of use of shoulders by bus (UAB).

This is distinguished from a reserved lane “by its limited number of users, by the training that drivers must follow before being able to travel there and by the fact that its use is limited by certain conditions linked to the degree of congestion of the roads. usual routes,” the Ministry of Transport clearly states on its website.

Ultimately, the shoulder therefore retains its role for longer as a “refuge zone for broken down vehicles” or “a buffer zone in the event of evasive maneuvers or loss of control since its use by buses is only sporadic” .

In short, “we are not talking about a dedicated line”, complains Mr. Pilon. “That means that if something happens, if there is an accident, they will divert both car traffic and buses there,” he said, worrying about the lack of traffic. incentives that the government will thus offer to users of public transport.

In the press scrum, Minister Guilbault defended herself from having chosen the “most relevant” measure of the numerous scenarios that were studied for public transport service on the new bridge. “With the wide shoulders, […] there will be room for buses to circulate,” she assured.

No REM…yet

The Réseau express métropolitain (REM) will not be part of the new bridge either, confirmed M^me Guilbault, without however excluding it in the longer term.

In fact, if it is there one day, the light rail “would be in the same location as the current bridge, once it is destroyed,” says Mayor Pilon. “Because of the vibration, we were told that it would be a separate structure, and only if they judge that there is a need,” detailed the elected official.

A priori, the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge will remain with two lanes – one in each direction – for another six weeks. “Then after that, we are talking about one more year to have more lanes available while waiting for the new bridge,” said M.^me Guilbault.

Quebec confirmed last week the launch of work on the new bridge, which must be partially put into service – with five lanes out of six – in December 2026. The six lanes would then be ready at the end of 2027.

Two lanes have been closed in quick succession in recent days due to damage discovered on the structure. In addition to free buses and trains, in addition to the toll suspended on Highway 30, Quebec is preparing to ban truck traffic in the right lane during rush hour on Highway 20, in order to alleviate the congestion. Completely banning trucking on the bridge “would lead to other problems” on the municipal network, however, explained the minister.

A lack of inspection?

For Guy Pilon, it is clear that inspection has been lacking on the structure in recent years. “For at least 15 years people have been talking to me about the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge which is collapsing. There should have been a reconstruction several years ago. If it had been done at the time, we would not be here today,” he laments.

Geneviève Guilbault recognizes that her government and its predecessors “possibly” should have inspected the infrastructure more. But she adds that the current management of the situation by her ministry demonstrates that “inspections exist and they work”.

“We are constantly looking for new solutions to reduce the impact on people’s daily lives,” continued M.^me Guilbault.

The new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge, which has experienced several cost increases and is now estimated at 2.3 billion, will be located north of the current infrastructure, which will then be dismantled.

In each direction, there will eventually be three lanes of traffic for cars and trucks. A “multi-purpose path” will also be created for bicycles and pedestrians. Ultimately, the new bridge will be around ten meters wider than the current bridge.