Closure of part of Route 132 to rebuild a bridge

Part of Route 132 will be closed to allow the reconstruction of the bridge which connects Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets and Deschaillons-sur-Saint-Laurent. A major detour will have to be taken by road users to bypass the works.

Preparatory work for the reconstruction of the bridge began on Sunday near the bridge, while road users can still travel for a few weeks via Route 132.

Once the work has properly begun, a closure of approximately one year is expected for this segment of Route 132.

To pass between the two cities, motorists will have to take routes 218, 226 and 265, a detour of approximately 20 kilometers.

According to Ministry of Transport spokesperson Roxanne Pellerin, the infrastructure had become obsolete.

This bridge was built in 1966, so it has reached the end of its useful life, so it really needs to be completely replaced.she says.

Negative economic impacts expected

Businesses in both municipalities expect their traffic to be affected by this work, and fear a difficult summer period.

The owner of Fromagerie Deschaillons, Ulrich Binggeli, indicates that he will have to reduce his opening hours.

Usually, we are open seven days a week. But now, at least Monday and Tuesday, we will probably be closed. There are probably going to be two part-time jobs that will basically be taken away.he said.

The mayor of Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets, Éric Dupont, fears that this detour will lead to permanent reductions in the number of businesses.

Since the road is closed for a year, people use other roads. Often, once it’s over, these people don’t go back to their old ways. […] Which means that it reduces business traffic.he explains.

Mr. Dupont affirms that the situation is not not easy for anyoneparticularly due to the more difficult economic context.