Business owners in and around the western tip of the Island of Montreal are fed up.
The Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge is still being worked on and people are saying away.
Merchants in Vaudreuil-Dorion say they are losing money and clients.
The breakfast and lunch rush at Eggscrepes in Vaudreuil is nowhere near what it used to be.
“It’s hell,” said owner Linda Filion. “It’s blocked everywhere. Everything is blocked.”
She said that whether it’s Highway 20, Highway 40, or even smaller streets like St-Charles Street, traffic is a nightmare.
Business owners in the area blame the traffic to the ongoing construction on the bridge.
The work has resulted in frequent lane reductions, closures and delays on the bridge.
Filion said she’s lost longtime regulars due to the traffic, including those that once came in on the weekend.
Developpement Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the Vaudreuil Soulanges Chamber of Commerce hired a firm to assess day-to-day challenges faced by businesses as a result of the disruptions.
Leger 360 surveyed around 400 local businesses in May.
“Eighty-three per cent of all the enterprises that responded to the survey have major concern with their survival because of the situation of the Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge,” said Chamber of Commerce executive director Mathieu Miljours.
The survey also revealed that about 90 per cent of respondents consider the situation to be having a negative impact on their business.
The two organizations that represent local businesses are demanding action from the government, including free passage on Highway 30, free public transportation in the area and improved communication on closures and delays on the bridge.
The Quebec Transport Ministry (MTQ) told CTV News that it already does a lot of communication on the bridge’s condition as it requires regular maintenance.
The MTQ added that its mission is road infrastructure and safety and not the local economy.