le-aux-Tourtes bridge down to 1 lane in each direction

The le-aux-Tourtes bridge willhave only one lane open in each direction as of midnight Friday. The Transport Ministry says this should last several weeks.

The bridge has had some significant damage, and its eastbound lanes will be completelyclosed for one hour Friday as of 11 p.m.

To mitigate traffic, the ministry says the toll passage on Highway 30 and travel from certain stations on the Vaudreuil-Hudson train line will be free of charge until the bridge reopens its lanes.

The ministry says it is encouraging people to opt for public transit if possible. As of Monday, train service on Exo's Vaudreuil-Hudson line will be free for the following stations:

• Hudson.
• Vaudreuil.
• Dorion.
• Pincourt.
• le-Perrot.

Some mitigation measures were establishedwhen the bridge closed completely last week, and they will remain in place.

"The reopening of a third lane and a return to dynamic traffic management on weekdays will be possible once repair work on the damaged slab has been completed," the ministry said in a news release.