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A cracked steel beam on the Honoré-Mercier Bridge has renewed calls for a new crossing between Montreal and the South Shore, raising questions about the cost of maintaining existing infrastructure versus building a new bridge.
Quebec’s Transport Ministry announced late Tuesday that the left lane of the bridge heading toward Montreal would close indefinitely after a crack was discovered during maintenance work.
Work to repair the beam is being carried out this weekend, but after decades of heavy traffic — including an average of 76,000 vehicles crossing each day — and weather-caused corrosion, is a full bridge replacement the way forward?
Lotfi Guizani, a professor of structural engineering at École de technologie supérieure (ETS), said the decision to build a new bridge involves weighing the cost of maintaining existing infrastructure against the expense of replacing it.
“When the maintenance cost becomes very high, construction becomes the option,” Guizani said.
He estimates that a new bridge could take at least seven years to materialize and cost billions of dollars.
The final price could exceed the $4.2-billion cost of the Champlain Bridge, depending on the project’s scope and the impact of rising construction costs and inflation.
Guizani suggested that alternative financing models, such as charging motorists a toll to use a new bridge, could help the provincial government pay for construction.
“They have to think of another type of financing for the project,” Guizani said. “They are in a big dilemma.”
According to the Transport Ministry, $125 million has been spent on bridge repairs since 2017.
The financial challenges could complicate a new crossing, but regional leaders argue that the province needs to start considering long-term solutions now rather than waiting for another major disruption.
WATCH | Lane closure caused serious headache for South Shore drivers this week:
Mercier Bridge lane closure causes headache for South Shore drivers commuting to Montreal
A Montreal-bound lane on the Mercier Bridge is closed until at least the end of the week after Quebec’s Transport Ministry discovered a crack in a steel beam. The precautionary closure is causing major commuter headaches on the South Shore.’One crisis after another,’ South Shore mayors say
Châteauguay Mayor Éric Allard said the latest closure reinforces the need for Quebec to seriously consider building a new bridge.
“We’re at the point where — should we build a new bridge? I think that question is getting more and more important. I think it’s the case,” said Allard.
Mercier Mayor Lise Michaud, who also serves as prefect of the MRC de Roussillon, said residents have endured years of construction, delays and uncertainty surrounding a crossing that remains essential to daily life across the South Shore.
“We can no longer be satisfied with making repairs, closing lanes and managing one crisis after another.”
Michaud called for greater transparency about infrastructure work, improved co-ordination among public authorities and concrete action to address the region’s transportation challenges.
The closure of a lane leading into Montreal on the Mercier Bridge caused traffic mayhem for commuters Wednesday morning. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)
Kahnawà:ke warns of safety risk during diversions
Grand Chief Cody Diabo said Kahnawà:ke also wants the provincial government to prioritize the bridge issue, emphasizing that the community bears a disproportionate share of the consequences when disruptions divert motorists onto local roads.
“Our residents can’t exit their driveways, our buses are passed illegally and most of all, our safety is at risk,” he said.
Diabo argued that Kahnawà:ke must have a meaningful role in regional transportation and infrastructure planning, particularly as decisions about development and road networks directly affect the community.
“We can no longer be excluded from regional development plans as all roads lead to the bridge and all that development is taking place on our land. We are and continue to be an afterthought.”
Cody Diabo is the grand chief of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke. (Ka’nhehsí:io Deer/CBC)
The Transport Ministry says reconstruction of the existing South Shore-bound structure is in the early planning stages. Further studies and surveys are required before costs and timelines can be established.
“We’re really at the very start of the reconstruction process,” said Louis-André Bertrand, a spokesperson for the ministry.
For now, the province is working to repair the damaged beam and restore normal traffic.