Champlain Bridge (Montreal, 1962–2019)

About

The Champlain Bridge (Pont Champlain) was a steel truss cantilever bridge with approach viaducts constructed of prestressed concrete beams supporting a prestressed concrete deck paved with asphalt. Opened in 1962, the bridge crossed the Saint Lawrence River, connecting the Island of Montreal to its South Shore suburbs. Together with the Jacques Cartier Bridge, it was administered by the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), a Canadian Crown Corporation which reports to Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada. Since December 21, 1978, JCCBI was responsible for the management, maintenance and monitoring of the Champlain Bridge. The bridge saw about 50 million crossings per year, of which 200,000 were buses. On an average weekday, 66% of users were commuters. It was one of the busiest bridges in Canada until its closure in 2019. Towards the end of its life, the Champlain Bridge was well known to be in an advanced state of decay. Long-discussed plans to construct a replacement bridge finally came to fruition when construction commenced in 2015. In 2019, upon the opening of the new bridge (formally known as the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge), the original Champlain Bridge was closed and promptly demolished, concluding 57 years of service.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.