New Île-aux-tortes Bridge remake of old one: Hawa

Ste-anne-de-bellevue Mayor Paola Hawa says the Quebec Ministry of Transport is making a mistake by building a new Île-auxtortes Bridge without including the infrastructure for a possible REM extension.

The bridge, which links the West Island to Vaudreuil-dorion along Highway 40, is to be rebuilt by 2027.

Hawa said building a new span without a possible REM line option would be a colossal mistake, considering the pressing issue of climate change and global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

“It makes no sense,” said Hawa, who also noted that the new Îleaux-tortes Bridge is essentially a remake of the existing structure, originally built in 1965. “They know by the time they build it, it's already outdated.”

There will be no lane reserved for buses or public transit on the new bridge. And like the current span, the new bridge will have three lanes in each direction.

It will include a bicycle and pedestrian path and a wide shoulder lane on each side.

Buses would be able to use the shoulder lane in the event of traffic congestion but would have to rejoin Highway 40 after exiting the bridge.

Asked for her thoughts on the future bridge, Hawa quipped, “You mean the old Île-aux-tortes bridge?”

“It's 2021, not 1965,” she said. She fears the future L'anse-àl'orme REM station in Ste-anne, which is the last stop on western portion of the light-rail network, will become a traffic mess if the new bridge does not have a lane dedicated to public transit.

“All the buses coming into the West Island will be struck in traffic,” Hawa said, adding that not continuing the REM line to the off island is a “lost opportunity.”

Hawa also questions why there is no dedicated lane for buses on the future bridge, nor room for a REM rail line. “That means even if they were ever to think about extending the REM west, they can't do it, unless they build a second parallel bridge.

About 86,000 vehicles cross the Île-aux-tortes Bridge on a daily basis. Hawa also wonders why West Island and off-island communities are not linked up to the REM like other cities and suburbs around Montreal.

“We live on an island and access to the island is important for everybody. So how come Laval gets tunnels, buses and métro stations, and the south shore gets the same thing, then why is it the West Island has only one way on and off the island?”

She said public transit options should be built into all new transportation infrastructure, like bridges, in order to get people to stop using their cars.

“That is the ultimate goal,” she said.

With only 200 parking spots slated for the REM station in Steanne, Hawa wonders where motorists will park once the lot is full.

“I have no idea where they'll go. Everybody will first try to find a spot in Ste-anne's and that will be impossible.”