September 14, 2006

FEDERAL BRIDGES CORPORATION

Deck replacement on the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal cost $120 million and was completed in 2003. A similar procedure will be used to repair the Mercier Bridge starting next spring.

Infrastructure

Prepping Mercier Bridge for major renovations

IRWIN RAPOPORT

correspondent

MONTREAL

The design is still being prepared for major renovations to the steel structure and concrete deck of the 1.4-km Honore-Mercier Bridge, which links the Island of Montreal with South Shore Mohawk Kahnawake Reserve.

The bridge is jointly owned by the federal government via the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated and the Quebec government. It carries about 28 million vehicles annually, with an estimated 3,400 trucks daily.

“We are going to remove the concrete piece-by-piece and replace it with pre-fabricated concrete panels,” said Andre Girard, vice president of communications for the Federal Bridges Corporation.

“The project will likely start in the spring and should be completed by the fall of 2009. The first season will be mainly steel work, preparing the structure to install the new deck.”

The multi-million dollar project also brings the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake in as a partner.

Phase one of the project, the South Shore approach ramps, will be carried out by First Nations companies. The second phase (the elevated bridge) will call for companies to include First Nations within the contract.

“We see this project as an opportunity to showcase the skills and expertise of our First Nations partners,” said Lawrence Cannon, federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities during an August speech in Montreal. “We have also worked in the past with contractors from the Kahnawake First Nation and we look forward to continuing our work on this major project.”

The tendering is still being finalized and is expected to be published next year.

“We’re dealing with a shorter bridge, but it has more curves, very long ones and they are more difficult to pre-fabricate. Most of the curves will be cast-in-place, lane-by lane.”

The Mercier Bridge was completed in 1934 and modified with the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

When completed, the lifespan of the bridge will be extended for 75 years, a period similar to the exact same work that was executed on the nearly three-kilometer Jacques Cartier Bridge between 2001-2003, at a cost of $120 million.

“The deck has been patched and fixed, but you get to a point where the steel starts to give in and you just need to replace the whole deck,” said Girard. “I wouldn’t say the steel structure is in bad shape, but it is in a condition that requires repairs in 2007.”

In addition to state-of-the-art steel, high strength reinforced concrete will be used for the roadway deck, which will also be supported by post-tension cables across and along each pre-fabricated panel.

Construction on the five lanes of the Jacques Cartier Bridge was finished ahead of schedule due to good weather, a design build contract and the fact that the bridge could be completely shut down at night.

Girard says using pre-fabricated concrete panels saves money by ensuring the smooth flow of traffic.

“Pre-fabricated panels were employed for a curve at the Jacques Cartier Bridge, but that required crews to close that section for two days, while cast-in-place methods would have required a three-day closure.

Montreal is connected to the mainland via 15 bridges.

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