The new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge will cost $2.3 billion

The Île-aux-Tourtes bridge

The new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge will now cost $2.3 billion, which is a 65% increase on the original bill. This is what the minister responsible for Montérégie, Suzanne Roy, explained on the airwaves of ICI Première. Inflation and the unfavorable market played a big role in inflating the bill.

“Shortage of labour, overheating in the market, general increase in costs” The particular context in which we find ourselves with inflation meant that we had no waiting possibilities and that even if we returned to the market, we would not have had lower prices. It’s the lowest bidder, but it makes sure to optimize the site and build it faster,’ she said.

In service by 2026

Indeed, by selecting this submission and thanks to the exceptional measures provided for by the Act respecting the acceleration of some infrastructure projects, site planning has been reduced by 18 months. Work on the new bridge will begin this summer with the hope of putting the bridge into service by 2026. The deconstruction of the existing bridge should be finished in 2029.

Entirely funded by the Government of Quebec, this new bridge will have two separate structures and will include three lanes of traffic in each direction, a two-way multipurpose lane and shoulders wide enough to accommodate buses.

Recall that the bridge had to be closed in 2021 due to the dangers caused by the multiple structural problems.