Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge: Status, Closures & Reconstruction 2024

If you drive between Montreal and Montérégie on Autoroute 40, you’ve probably noticed the orange cones and shifting lane patterns near the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge. The bridge that carries 81,000 vehicles daily is in the middle of a $2.3 billion reconstruction that will reshape commutes through the end of the decade.

Length: 2 km · Lanes: 6 (partially open) · Connects: Vaudreuil-Dorion to Senneville · Highway: Autoroute 40 · Works start: Fall 2023

Is the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge Open?

Current status

The Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge remains partially open during its multi-year reconstruction. According to the Quebec Ministry of Transportation (MTMD), five out of six lanes are currently available on the existing structure. The exact lane configuration fluctuates based on ongoing work, which means drivers should treat any single-trip estimate as provisional until they see real-time conditions.

The distinction between “partially open” and “fully open” isn’t academic. When a crack forced an emergency closure in January 2024, the bridge reopened with only one lane in each direction, a configuration that lasted until mid-January 2024 when a third lane was restored. A fourth lane reopened in April 2025, bringing the total to four open lanes before the fifth was added in the months that followed.

The Ministry’s position is unambiguous: safety comes first, and any inspection revealing structural concerns could prompt immediate lane reductions regardless of planned schedules. Motorists should not assume that five lanes today means five lanes tomorrow.

Live camera feeds

Quebec’s 511 road network provides live camera feeds for the bridge and surrounding Autoroute 40 segments. These feeds are the most reliable method for drivers to confirm the current lane count before departing, especially during overnight work periods or after weather events.

What Is the Cost of the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge?

Construction costs

The reconstruction carries a price tag of $2.3 billion, fully funded through public sources. This figure represents the entire program covering design, demolition of the old structure, and construction of two new parallel bridges, according to ReNew Canada infrastructure publication, a publication covering infrastructure projects.

Detailed cost breakdowns beyond that $2.3 billion total are not publicly available at the line-item level. The Ministry has not published itemized contracts or phase costs in English-language documents. What is known: the project owner is the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD), and the project has been designated for public funding with no private partnership component.

Funding sources

The project draws on provincial transportation budgets administered by MTMD. No tolls are part of the funding model — neither for the existing bridge nor the new structures. This matters for commuters: the bridge remains free to use throughout construction and after the new bridges open.

During major closures, Quebec has suspended tolls on the A-30 alternative route as a mitigation measure, effectively softening the financial impact for drivers who reroute.

What Is the Distance and Location of the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge?

Length and span

The Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge spans approximately 2 kilometers, making it the longest bridge on Autoroute 40. It crosses Lac des Deux-Montagnes, connecting Senneville on the island of Montreal side to Vaudreuil-Dorion in the Montérégie region.

Originally commissioned in 1965, the bridge was designed for a service life that was already being revisited by the 1990s. Maintenance records show repair work in 1991–1992, 1994, 2000–2001, 2012–2013, and ongoing patching from 2015 onward. By 2018, Quebec had spent approximately $87 million on upkeep since the 1990s, with another $45 million in planned maintenance through 2028 — spending that became moot once the full reconstruction decision was made.

Connections

The bridge is a critical link in the Autoroute 40 corridor, which carries trade traffic between Montreal and Ontario. Nearly 81,000 vehicles cross daily in recent normal traffic years, including roughly 11% trucks — a volume that reflects how heavily the regional economy depends on this crossing.

The two municipalities at either end serve distinct roles. Senneville is a primarily residential West Island community, while Vaudreuil-Dorion has grown into a commercial and residential hub whose traffic demands have intensified as the West Island has developed.

What Are the Closure Dates for the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge?

Upcoming closures

The project has a documented history of planned weekend closures, often announced weeks in advance. Past closures have included complete shutdowns in December 2023, March 2024, and December 2024, with the latter scheduled for lane reconfiguration work that also triggered toll suspensions on A-30.

Night closures on the westbound direction have also occurred, typically rescheduled if weather interferes — the December 12–13, 2024 night closure was postponed from an earlier date due to conditions. Drivers should monitor Village de Senneville infrastructure page and Quebec 511 for advance notice of upcoming weekend closures.

The Ministry has emphasized that government will prioritize safety above all else and may close lanes without advance warning if inspections reveal structural concerns. This means even a closure-free week can become a lane reduction day if inspectors flag an issue.

Past disruptions

The most dramatic closure before the reconstruction program was an emergency shutdown on May 20, 2021, triggered by damaged steel reinforcing rods. That closure lasted until June 2, 2021. Then, in November 2023, a major crack prompted another emergency closure on November 24; the bridge reopened November 27 with only one lane each direction — a configuration that persisted for weeks.

Lane by lane, the bridge has clawed back capacity: a third lane opened January 15, 2024, and a second lane toward Montreal reopened by April 28, 2025, bringing the total to four lanes. The fifth lane followed, landing at the current five-out-of-six count.

What Is the Current Traffic and Works Status?

511 updates

Quebec 511 remains the go-to source for real-time lane status. The platform publishes both camera feeds and text-based network conditions. Drivers can access it via the mobile site or app, with English-language options available.

Shoring work — structural reinforcement under the existing bridge — began June 19, 2024, and continues as part of the multi-phase approach that keeps lanes open while new structures take shape alongside the old bridge.

Reconstruction timeline

Construction work officially began in fall 2023. The project unfolds in distinct phases:

• The first new structure is slated to open in late 2026, initially with five dynamically managed lanes that can shift direction based on peak traffic patterns. Dynamic traffic management allows the lane count in each direction to adjust to morning versus evening rush demands.
• The second parallel structure follows in 2027, permanently establishing three lanes in each direction — the final lane configuration for the new bridge.
• Deconstruction of the existing 1965 bridge is scheduled for completion in 2029, with final finishing work extending into 2030.

The new bridges are designed with three lanes each direction, wide shoulders that accommodate buses, and a multipurpose path. The project is targeting LEED certification, reflecting sustainability requirements built into the design specs, according to ReNew Canada infrastructure publication.

The implications for regular commuters are concrete: plan for extra travel time, check 511 before every trip, and understand that the current lane configuration is not a stable baseline. For logistics operators, the dynamic lane management starting in 2026 will introduce a new variable worth monitoring — the ability to shift lane direction by time of day could meaningfully reduce peak-hour backups if implemented as designed.