Three new reports say that the Champlain Bridge’s condition continues to worsen and work is underway to ensure the bridge remains safe for motorists.
Last year, a superbeam had to be installed to strengthen the bridge after years of corrosion had weakened its beams.
But many more of the beams are now in trouble.
“The edge girders, the beams at the very exterior of the structure and the ones at the middle of the structure are the ones the most at risk,” said Bridge Authority spokesperson Julie Paquet.
According to Paquet, the erosion is caused by “road salts and all the maintenance that pushes the snow towards the edges. So those are the beams that are targeted by our interventions.”
Repairs for the Jacques Cartier and Champlain bridges will cost $127 million this year alone, including installing trusses under the Champlain.
“Even if the beam is at risk or has less capacity thanit may have had in the past, then the modular trusses helps completely compensate for that,” said Paquet. “We’ve installed 17 of them. Thirty-six will have been done by the end of the year and we’re going by priority.”
While work is being done to ensure the bridge remains safe, work is underway on its eventual replacement. A stone jetty now extends out into the Saint-Lawrence River for the eventual construction of the new bridge which is scheduled to open in three-and-a-half years.
