Advertisement

Île-aux-Tourtes bridge to fully reopen starting Saturday

Traffic is detoured off of highway 40 eastbound in Vaudreuil-Dorion, west of Montreal as the Ile-aux-Tourtes bridge on Highway 40 was closed, in Montreal, Friday, May 21, 2021. Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press

Good news, drivers.

The Île-aux-Tourtes bridge, which links the western tip of Montreal to Vaudreuil-Dorion, will completely reopen in both directions this weekend.

Quebec Transport Minster François Bonnardel announced the news on social media Friday afternoon, saying the entire span will be accessible starting at 7 a.m. Saturday.

“Thank you to the teams who took part in the work that led to this reopening faster than expected,” he wrote.

The vital link was shut down in late May as an emergency measure after it was damaged by drilling as part of recent work.

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

READ MORE: Quebec announces a slow reopening of Île-aux-Tourtes bridge

The closure has snarled traffic to and from the Island of Montreal, and forced some schools to cancel their bus service or move to online learning.

Story continues below advertisement

Île-aux-Tourtes bridge has gradually been reopening, but the latest announcement means all three lanes in both directions will reopen about two weeks earlier than anticipated.

The span along Highway 40 is heavily used. Data from 2019 suggests about 80,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day.

It is also one of the main bridges that motorists use to travel from Montreal to Ontario on the Trans-Canada Highway system.

Click to play video: 'Île-aux-Tourtes bridge reopens Friday, 3 days ahead of schedule'
Île-aux-Tourtes bridge reopens Friday, 3 days ahead of schedule

With files from Global News’ Annabelle Olivier and the Canadian Press

Sponsored content

AdChoices