Emergency work on the Champlain Bridge is being stepped up – again.
The supergirder that will be used to temporarily support a failing section of the bridge could be installed two weeks ahead of schedule, as soon as this coming weekend.
Weather permitting, the multi-tonne beam could be assembled, shipped to the weakened section of the bridge, and installed with the aid of several extra-heavy-duty cranes in the days to come.
“This emergency beam that weighs 75 tonnes, we are going to sit it on top of the existing beam that already has cracks in it,” explained Glen Carlin of the Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc.“It's a very delicate operation. We have to be very careful about the way we are going to go about this operation.”
Two giant cranes positioned on the bridge will lift the supergirder and move it carefully into place.
Work is expected to start immediately.
“This evening we're going to start moving the five major pieces of this beam to Nuns’ Island. Starting (Tuesday) we will start assembling the beam,” said Carlin.
Once the supergirder is in place, the three South Shore-bound lanes will have to bottleneck around the supergirder, since it is expected to jut 1.8 metres into the right-hand lane.
The announcement came Monday after a morning of very slow commuting for people using the Champlain Bridge.
Two lanes were closed last week because of a widening series of cracks on the southbound side of the bridge.
For the duration of the construction, emergency bridge officials are maintaining a two-and-two configuration, which Monday morning led to an 11-kilometre long delay in traffic heading to Montreal.
The city of Longueuil is expanding bus service and buses were still able use a reserved lane to get up to the bridge, but had to merge with regular traffic to cross the span itself.
Jacques Tetrault, Longueuil’s communications director, said it may take more to alleviate all the congestion.
“If companies can work with the working schedules – start earlier, finish earlier if people can work at home, tele-travail – maybe this would ease the amount of cars and the circulation we have,” he said.
One report said it took just ten minutes to cross the bridge on a bus.
The AMT has added extra trains and parking at stations, while extra cars have been added to the metro's Yellow Line -- although with an increase of 8,000 users at the Longueuil station, transfers at Berri-UQAM have become slower than normal.
The STM is asking commuters to avoid the Berri-UQAM station if possible.
Crack now stable
Despite the crack and emergency repairs, the Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc. said its plan to support the Champlain with a steel skeleton will allow it to be safely used for the foreseeable future.
Jean-Vincent Lacroix from the Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc. said the crack has stabilized since the second lane was closed, and it is being monitored electronically and inspected visually twice a day.
“Right now there's no progression and we have the beam stabilized,” said Lacroix.
Though authorities said the Champlain Bridge is safe, they say congestion during rush hour is a concern – drivers reported a commute that has tripled in duration – and will lead to increased congestion on the Victoria and Jacques-Cartier Bridges.
The Bridge Corporation says it should re-open three reduced lanes to the South Shore by mid-December at the latest, after it assembles a ‘super beam’ and secures it to the bridge.
Until then, authorities are asking commuters to use public transit or carpool to help reduce traffic.
A replacement bridge is set to be completed by 2021. Bridge engineer Hellen Christodoulou said the construction schedule can be advanced, but it would require more co-operation at all levels.
“Canadian procurement is certainly going to help,” she said. “It's something that we have to focus on and a bridge in steel, that's for sure, because construction will be easier. It will be faster.”
Until it can be replaced, the Champlain Bridge will need continuous maintenance to stay open.
Bridge officials said the lanes won't be at full capacity in both directions until the spring.
A replacement bridge is set to be completed by 2021. Bridge engineer Hellen Christodoulou said the construction schedule can be advanced, but it would require more co-operation at all levels.
“Canadian procurement is certainly going to help,” she said. “It's something that we have to focus on and a bridge in steel, that's for sure, because construction will be easier. It will be faster.”
Until it can be replaced, the Champlain Bridge will need continuous maintenance to stay open.
Bridge officials said the lanes won't be at full capacity in both directions until the spring.
