after a crack was discovered in the concrete slab, only two of the bridge’s six lanes have been open, one in each direction, since dec. 2, resulting in traffic bottlenecks as long as two hours on highway 40 and slowdowns on highway 20 for commuters attempting to enter or exit the western side of the island. transport québec is currently doing work on the 58-year-old bridge to reinforce the structure and open more lanes.
until another lane is opened, mitigation measures including increased commuter train service, and allowing buses to use the shoulder of westbound highway 40, will continue. starting this week, extra buses were added for the no. 11 bus running from hudson train station to vaudreuil.
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quebec transport minister geneviève guilbault announced dec. 11 that work had officially begun on a new span to replace the Île-aux-tourtes bridge . she said every effort will be made to have the new bridge open for the end of 2026. it was originally expected to only open at the end of 2027. the projected cost is $2.3 billion.