The current bridge carries only bus services.
Development of the new bridge over the St Lawrence is being led by the govenment of Canada.
The decision to incorporate light rail has been welcomed by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. “For a number of years, the Board of Trade has been asking for a light rail transportation (LRT) system to be built to relieve congestion between the South Shore and the Island of Montréal,” said president and CEO Michel Leblanc, "This project was on the priority list of major public transit projects for the metropolitan area. We are delighted that the Government of Québec has chosen this high-performance system, which is already in use in most major Western cities.”
A budget of US$27 million will be allocated towards implemention of the system.
“There hasn’t been an exact estimate of the cost of building an LRT, but the Government of Québec has indicated that it will not fund the project on its own,” said Leblanc. “We understand that this is a massive investment, but at no point should funding issues slow the construction of the new bridge. Obviously, it is essential that work for the LRT be completed when the new bridge is delivered.”
