The 1964 doubling of the structure was done to appease business interests in L'Île-Perrot and Dorion who were worried that the abandoning of the unfinished Île Bray Bridge in favor of the nearby Île aux Tourtes Bridge, which avoids Perrot Island completely, might hurt their activities. The original plan for a freeway out of Montreal to the west called for upgrading the highway between Galipeault and Taschereau bridges to freeway standards, the doubling of Taschereau, and the construction of a new bridge in the vicinity of Galipeault, which would have connected with Autoroute 40 on the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue side. The bridge in question, Île Bray Bridge, which was never finished, was already under construction when the transportation ministry changed its plans in favor of a long span across Lake of Two Mountains.[2]
The 1991 span carried the westbound lanes until the demolition of the eastbound structure forced its use as a two-way span. The eastbound span's construction was finished in early October and opened November 28, 2009.
Like Taschereau, Galipeault was built next to a Grand Trunk Railroad bridge that was part of the first fixed link from Montreal to the outside world.
The bridge is used by 54,000 vehicles every day, or 19.7 million a year, making it among the busiest bridges in Montreal.
