Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon wants the province to take immediate action to ease rush hour traffic congestion on the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge.

Pilon told Neomedia during a recent interview that he spoke to provincial transport Minister Geneviève Guilbeault about the situation in March.

He asked whether she would consider opening all three lanes on the bridge at rush hour according to the direction of traffic during the morning and afternoon commute.

¨She said it was impossible at that time but it would be done in April. Now we're in May and nothing has happened," said Pilon.

The first phase of the new bridge is expected to be ready by 2026 and the entire project completed by 2027. 

"It's going to take four years before everything is done. Until then, people will have to suffer every day. I want the government to put some sort of traffic relief measures in place as soon as possible to help us," said Pilon. 

He added that traffic on the Galipeault Bridge along Highway 20 in Île-Perrot and Ste. Anne de Bellevue is just as terrible because it affects Harwood Blvd, said Pilon. "It's a mess there too," he added.

The best way to relieve traffic on Harwood would be for the MTQ to finally build the Highway 20 bypass that was first proposed 60 years ago, said Pilon. 

"The land for the bypass south of Harwood next to the railway tracks was set aside when it was first announced in the 1960s but nothing has been done since then to move the project forward. It's time to take action," said Pilon.