The Champlain Bridge (French: Pont Champlain) is a steel truss cantilever bridge with approach viaducts constructed of prestressed concrete beams supporting a prestressed concrete deck paved with asphalt. The bridge crosses the Saint Lawrence River and Saint Lawrence Seaway, connecting the Montreal boroughs of Verdun and Le Sud-Ouest to Brossard on the South Shore. Autoroute 10 (also called Autoroute Bonaventure in Montreal and Autoroute des Cantons-de-lEst) is an Autoroute in southern Quebec. ... Autoroute 15 (also called Autoroute Décarie in Montreal and Autoroute des Laurentides north of Montreal) is an Autoroute in western Quebec. ... Autoroute 20 (also called Autoroute Jean-Lesage) is a very long and important Autoroute in Quebec. ... The Saint Lawrence River (French fleuve Saint-Laurent) is a large west-to-east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... Brossard is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the south shore of Montreal. ... This article needs cleanup. ... A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers: structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. ... The old Steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon content between 0. ... Truss bridge for a single track railway, converted to pedestrian use and pipeline support. ... The cantilevered beam (green) projects out into space from its supports (blue). ... A log bridge in the French Alps near Vallorcine. ... The Saint Lawrence River (French: fleuve Saint-Laurent) is a large west-to-east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... The Eisenhower Locks in Massena, NY. The St Lawrence Seaway is the common name for system of canals that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes as far as Lake Superior. ... Motto: Concordia Salus Coordinates: Country Canada Province Québec Founded 1642 Established 1832 Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area    - City 366. ... Verdun is a borough of the City of Montreal, situated along the St. ... Le Sud-Ouest is a borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... Brossard is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the south shore of Montreal. ...

The bridge, with approaches, is approximately six kilometers in length. When the project began, the bridge was designated as the "Nuns' Island Bridge" because it crosses over Nuns' Island. In 1958, it was officially named the Champlain Bridge in honor of the explorer Samuel de Champlain who founded Quebec City in 1608. ÃŽle des SÅ“urs redirects here. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Samuel de Champlain by Théophile Hamel (1870) Samuel de Champlain (c. ... Motto: « Don de Dieu feray valoir Â» (I shall put Gods gift to good use) Site in the province of Québec Official logo Provincial region Province Country Capitale-Nationale Québec Canada Gentilé Québécois, Québécoise Mayor Jean-Paul LAllier 1989-Dec. ... Events March 18 - Sissinios formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia May 14 - Protestant Union founded in Auhausen. ...

Specifications

The bridge carries six lanes of vehicle traffic; three in each direction. During rush hour one lane in the (heading off the island in the morning, and onto the island in the evening) is used as a reserved bus lane for traffic heading in the opposite direction. Approximately 49 million vehicles cross the Champlain Bridge every year, and 196 million people making it one of the busiest bridges in the world.

• Total length of crossing complex: 14.5 km (47,712 ft or 9 miles)
• Total bridge length including approaches: 7,412 m (24,312 ft)
  • Length: abutment to abutment: 3,440 m (11,273 ft)
  • Link of viaduct to Section 1: 2,195 m (7,200 ft)
  • Center main cantilevered span: 215 m
  • Wellington Street approach: 365 m (1,200 ft)
• Bonaventure Expressway: 4,573 m (15,000 ft)

Just upstream from the bridge is an ice boom, the Champlain Bridge Ice Control Structure.

The bridge was originally built as a toll bridge. Tolls were in place from the bridge's first opening in 1962 through May 4th, 1990.

Construction History

On August 17, 1955, federal Transport Minister George Marler first announced the planned construction of a new bridge connecting Montreal to the South Shore via. Nun's Island. At the time, the city's existing bridges (Victoria, Jacques Cartier and Honoré Mercier had become inadequate to support the amount of traffic that carried residents from the growing South Shore region into Montreal. George Carlyle Marler, PC (September 14, 1901 - April 10, 1981) was a politician, notary and philatelist in Quebec, Canada. ... Victoria Bridge, Montreal The Victoria Bridge at Montreal, Quebec is the name for the first bridge spanning the St. ... View from the bridge The Jacques Cartier Bridge (French: pont Jacques-Cartier) is a steel truss cantilever bridge crossing the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal Island, Montreal, Quebec to the south shore at Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. ... The Honoré Mercier Bridge in Quebec connects LaSalle on the Island of Montreal with the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. ...

The National Harbours Board was placed in charge of the project. Through several meetings and consultations in the fall of 1955, they selected the location for the bridge and its approaches. Originally, the plan had been to build the bridge with only 4 lanes, with room to later expand the bridge to 6 lanes. However, during the design phase, it was decided to go with an initial 6-lane design immediately.

The bridge was opened on June 29th, 1962. At the time, the bridge had only one approach from Montreal, via Wellington Street. The section of the bridge that includes the approaches to/from Atwater Avenue and La Vérendrye Boulevard were opened two years later, on December 7, 1964.

In 1967, the final approach to the bridge on the Montreal side was completed when the Bonaventure Expressway was opened to traffic.[1]

See also

• List of crossings of the Saint Lawrence River
• List of bridges
• List of bridges in Montreal

This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Saint Lawrence River from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence upstream to Lake Ontario. ... The list of bridges is a link page for any bridge. ... This is a list of bridges and other fixed links serving Montreal, on the Island of Montreal, proceeding counter-clockwise around the island from the southwest, with the year they were opened. ...

External links

• Champlain Bridge (Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated, Government of Canada)

Bridges of the St. Lawrence River
Upstream Honoré Mercier Bridge	Champlain Bridge	Downstream Victoria Bridge