The eyes of thousands of citizens of the region were riveted in front of the screen on Tuesday, May 25th, as the Minister of Transport, François Bonardel indicated that the repairs to reopen the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge to traffic will require a few days. The situation will return to normal on June 21st .
Photo Mathis Denis
To justify this time, Minister Bonardel indicates that the work will be done quickly. In fact, these are planned in three stages. There is talk of a gradual return to service.
Initially, as of May 31st , one lane in each direction will be accessible. On June 14th , there will be two lanes of traffic in each direction and a return to normal on June 21st . “We want to bring back the schedule for the start of work on the new Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge”, said the Minister of Transport. We will work to reduce the start of work by 6 months. I am hopeful that work on the new bridge can begin in 2023.”
Work in progress
Already 50% of the damaged rods have been removed. This is why Minister Bonardel is confident of respecting the schedule for the reopening of the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge. Also, Quebec confirms that a large part of the necessary materials have already arrived. “We took advantage of our contacts with major entrepreneurs in Quebec”, explains François Bonardel.
Asked whether the reconfiguration of Highway 20 is becoming a priority for the Minister of Transport, the latter explains that this is a complex situation and that his ministry is working to find solutions.
Resumption of classes
Following the announcement concerning the closure of the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge, the elementary and secondary establishments of the Centre de services scolaire des Trois-Lacs were closed on Tuesday, May 25th in order to allow each of the establishments to analyze the impacts of this situation on its school system. It is important to stress that the CSSTL management does not want the students to spend a considerable number of hours on the buses.
Following a short traffic survey, the CSSTL reported that 13 schools are switching to virtual education. This is the case for the following schools:
- Cité-des-Jeunes (Vaudreuil-Dorion)
- Chêne-Bleu (Pincourt)
- Sainte-Madeleine (Vaudreuil-Dorion)
- Saint-Michel (Vaudreuil-Dorion)
- Harwood (Vaudreuil-Dorion)
- Hymne-au-Printemps (Vaudreuil-Dorion)
- Des Légendes (Vaudreuil-Dorion)
- Papillon Bleu – Sainte-Trinité (Vaudreuil-Dorion)
- Papillon Bleu – Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Vaudreuil-Dorion)
- José-Maria (Terrasse-Vaudreuil)
- François-Perrot (L’Île-Perrot)
- Virgine-Roy (L’Île-Perrot)
- Notre-Dame-de-Lorette (Pincourt)
