MONTREAL — Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Francois-Philippe Champagne was on hand on the deck of the new Samuel de Champlain Bridge on Dec. 19 to mark a construction milestone, with the last segment of the bridge now in place to complete the full 3.4-kilometre span of the St. Lawrence River at Montreal.
The $3.1-billion bridge, replacing the old Champlain bridge, connects the South Shore and Montreal. The bridge is expected to be open to traffic next June, said a release. The project was a public-private partnership undertaken by Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated, led by SNC-Lavalin. A previous report from the federal auditor general raised doubts about whether the construction consortium building the bridge could have work done by the original timeline of December.
During the announcement, Champagne also confirmed the bridge would carry the full name of the explorer, Samuel de Champlain.
“It is a privilege to walk on the deck of the bridge that will soon connect travellers between Montreal and the South Shore with these proud and dedicated workers,” said Champagne in the statement. “With the completion of this critical milestone the project is moving another step closer to being open to traffic by June 2019, at the latest. The new Samuel De Champlain Bridge is one of the largest worksites in North America, and one of the most modern in terms of engineering and urban integration.”
The new bridge is expected to last 125 years.
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