The New Champlain Bridge will span the St. Lawrence River in Canada, connecting Montreal with the South Shore, and will replace the current structure. Currently, this project is considered one of the largest in North America.
The current structure, which opened in 1962, has long been considered one of the most important in the entire country, as it has handled a high volume of traffic—approximately 40 million vehicles per year. It is also one of the main access routes to the island of Montreal.
However, in recent years, the bridge required a significant investment for maintenance; therefore, after several years of study, the federal government decided in 2011 to replace the structure with a new one.
The New Champlain Bridge will have 3.4 kilometers long, across which three multi-lane roadways will run—two for vehicle traffic and a third reserved exclusively for public transportation. It also includes a path for bicycles and pedestrians. In their design, which embraces a minimalist concept, the engineers and architects have decided to place a support structure at the center of the bridge from which the bridge’s stays will extend.
The project also includes improvements to several sections of the highway that crosses the bridge. The new bridge is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018, and the cost of the project will be approximately 1.85 billion euros.
