Yes to a service bridge service linking L’Île-des-Soeurs

Members of the committee formed last February have demanded that the construction of a bridge be accepted by a majority of Verdun residents and that financing be provided by others and not only by the Borough. This new bridge will be used by emergency and maintenance vehicles as well as by busses, bikers and pedestrians.

A consensus was reached among committee members on the potential area for the construction of the bridge: between Galt Street on the mainland and Marguerite-Bourgeoys Boulevard in the island.

The idea of building such a bridge goes back to a planning report published in 1967. Under the Savard administrated in 1988, the topic was raised again. Thereafter the file remained inactive and no one else spoke about it except for business owners of Promenade Wellington who believed that such a bridge would bring in new clients to Wellington Street. Then the traffic congestion that occurred towards the end of 2007 at the entrance and exit points of the island brought the topic of the bridge at the forefront of discussions again.

The members of the committee therefore assessed the problems related to the re-development of the road network on the northern tip of L’Île-des-Sœurs. They also examined the consequences to the road system, following the announcement of the re-construction of the Turcot Interchange, the island’s bridge and eventually Champlain Bridge.

The traffic jams on the access lanes to L’Île-des-Sœurs have fuelled the committee’s thinking that it has become essential to increase the response rate of emergency vehicles, fire trucks, ambulance personnel and police. Committee members are also of the opinion that a bridge should be built based on present and future needs of the population.

The Reflection Committee’s report was filed during a special Borough Council meeting which was exceptionally held on Wednesday night this month. Mayor Claude Trudel was visibly pleased with the results, confirming that the Council is supporting the Committee’s favourable recommendation to construct a service bridge. “It is a service bridge”, the Mayor insisted. Aware that there are still numerous stages to fulfill before the project can be accomplished, Claude Trudel did not establish any deadlines. Note that the recent survey by the Borough revealed that major support exists for this project.

According to Borough Mayor Claude Trudel, the fire services department of the Montreal Agglomeration is currently studying different scenarios to come up with solutions to better serve the needs of L’Île-des-Soeurs. Another link between this area and Montreal island is also part of the discussions. Does this mean that the City of Montreal could be the principal source of funds for this project, as was the case for the Aqueduct Canal bridges?

This could be an essential factor when performing a cost analysis for the bridge project. The governments are setting aside important budgets in order to allocate essential resources for the safety and protection of citizens against fire and this could weigh heavily on the final decision.