{"id":650314,"date":"2026-05-05T23:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T23:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/650314\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T23:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T23:16:11","slug":"quebec-man-builds-app-to-inform-off-island-commuters-of-monteregie-drawbridge-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/650314\/","title":{"rendered":"Quebec man builds app to inform off-island commuters of Mont\u00e9r\u00e9gie drawbridge schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

A South Shore man is hoping to ease a daily frustration for drivers off the island of Montreal with a new app<\/a> designed to warn commuters before they get stuck at two notoriously busy bridges.<\/p>\n

At the Larocque Bridge and St-Louis-de-Gonzague Bridge, there can be lengthy waits between 10 and 30 minutes where marine traffic regularly forces closures at all hours of the day.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe St-Louis-de-Gonzague bridge lifts for a passing ship. (Chris Kurys\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Those crossings, which span the St. Lawrence Seaway, can result in lineups of cars spanning into neighbouring municipalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a reality Kevin Dubreuil knows all too well. After recently moving to Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, Que., located about 60 kilometres southwest of Montreal, he found himself frequently crossing the bridge and encountering the same frustrating delays.<\/p>\n

Building a better system<\/p>\n

With two young kids at home, Dubreuil decided to build that solution himself, in his spare time.<\/p>\n

“You have a better estimate of how long it\u2019s going to be lifted, compared to the [Seaway] website, which only tells you how long it has been lifted,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"KevinKevin Dubreuil shows the app he created to let commuters plan their route around two Mont\u00e9r\u00e9gie bridges that lift for marine activity. (CBC)<\/p>\n

While there are already ways for residents to check bridge status, his app, which was launched in April, takes a more proactive approach. It sends real-time notifications directly to a user\u2019s phone, which can be customized based on their needs.<\/p>\n

Residents say they’re accustomed to delays<\/p>\n

Locals say they\u2019ve grown accustomed to the unpredictable delays, especially during warmer months when boating traffic increases.<\/p>\n

“It’s been 30 years since I’ve been here,” said Sylvain Dufour, letting out a big sigh.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m busy, but I have no choice,” he added, referring to the time he spends in traffic, daily. <\/p>\n

S\u00e9bastien Gaudreau, a frequent crosser from the nearby municipality of Sainte-Barbe, Que., says he often checks the bridge status details from the St. Lawrence Seaway.<\/a><\/p>\n

“It\u2019s not very accurate, but you get used to living with that,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"AS\u00e9bastien Gaudreau, a frequent bridge crosser, verifies the St. Lawrence Seaway website from his car. (CBC)Encouraging feedback from users<\/p>\n

The timing of the app comes at the start of boating season and increased marine activity through the seaway. During this period, locks will close at scheduled times each day to accommodate recreational vessels \u2014 adding another layer of complexity for drivers trying to cross.<\/p>\n

Dubreuil says his app is simple to use, requiring only a phone number to get started. Since launching it, he has already received positive input, and says there’s interest among residents from neighbouring municipalities.<\/p>\n

“[It] does benefit a lot of people around here, not necessarily just people from the area,” said Dubreuil.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":650315,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-650314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}