We've heard a lot of talk about the economic value of the bridge, and that cannot go without saying. But as in any growing city, bridges become lifelines to getting off the island. Montreal is an island. I think those of us who live in areas where we need bridges to get to and from where we're going on a daily basis have all experienced how frustrating it can be when one of those accesses is not there any more and it takes us twice as long to get to work.
One of the things about a growing economy is the fact that people begin to move out of the city and move, in our case, off island. So for the massive workforce that comes onto the island every day over the Champlain Bridge, over the Mercier Bridge, over all of the bridges leading onto the Island of Montreal, this is extremely important.
One of the other things to consider, which we're hoping for as far as this new bridge goes, is a very strong focus on public transport, on using the bridge as a means to give people incentive to leave their cars at home, or to at least use park spots during the workday, and on having efficient public transit that allows them to take an electric train or a bus over the bridge to their destination. This is something that can be built into the project. This is something that would also help the new bridge live that much longer, because it's not carrying the weight of the tens of thousands of cars that use it each day.
But, again, this is not a cosmetic thing. This is not a popularity thing. This is not a partisan thing. This is something that is vital to the Canadian workforce, vital to Canadians living their day-to-day lives. It's something that has to be planned for. And the planning has to start now, because it's going to take 10 to 12 years to come to fruition.
Right now, we have it blocked down to one lane going either way at any given time, which is causing massive bottle-necking in that area. The entrance to the bridge from Montreal is in my riding, and studies have shown that respiratory illnesses in people who live in that area are up by 20% just because they're sitting in areas where cars are sitting idling for hours. Again, this is something that is of benefit not only to Montreal or Quebec but to the whole of Canada.