The Crown corporation responsible for many of the bridges between Montreal and the South Shore will be doing work this summer to greatly extend the life of the Jacques Cartier Bridge, and to ensure the Champlain Bridge remains usable until its replacement is complete.
Work on some of the roadways of the Jacques Cartier bridge begins this weekend, and major work will be done to reinforce the steel portions of the bridge over the summer.
The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Corporation said most of that work will be done overnight so as to not inconvenience commuters.
The bridge will be closed on 15 nights between May and November, between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.
The cost for the work is $96 million, and should extend the life of the Jacques Cartier Bridge for an additional 50 years, until 2079.
Glen Carlin, CEO of the Bridge Corporation, said planners are talking to other construction projects to minimize disruptions for motorists.
"We have to make sure that whatever is happening with Turcot and the SSL [New Champlain Bridge], all of the closures that they require, that we want to make sure that everything is meshing well together that we're not causing undue havoc with the traffic." said Carlin.
About $51 million will be spent this year on the old Champlain, meaning $450 million will have been spent maintaining the old bridge since its replacement was announced. The new bridge is due to be completed by Dec. 21, 2018.
Carlin said in all about $211 million will be spent on the Jacques Cartier, the old Champlain, and on the Bonaventure Expressway and the Mercier Bridge, although the work on the federal portion of the Mercier shouldn't require any traffic closures.
