This page contains information about the work schedule for the Champlain Bridge deconstruction. You can also see how the deconstruction is progressing on our Live Work Site section, which shows images from cameras installed at strategic points at the site that will let you keep up with the work being done on Île des Sœurs.
JCCBI has produced a time-lapse video showing all the work done during the first six months of the original Champlain Bridge deconstruction.
Different methods will be used depending on the section to be deconstructed and the bridge components to be taken down.
Around 65% of the work will be done from work platforms in the water that are away from residential areas.
Work to deconstruct the Champlain Bridge will take place over 43 months until January 2024. This global schedule shows the major upcoming milestones for the different sections of the Champlain Bridge.
Deconstruction on the Île des Sœurs side finished in summer 2021, and the shoreline restoration will be completed once the jetty is removed in 2023.
For Section 5 over the river to the seaway, the work will be carried out in the water and will have little impact on mobility.
For section 6 over the seaway, most of the work will be carried out in winter so as not to hinder marine transportation.
Work on Section 7 on the Brossard side will start in spring 2022.
Once the Champlain Bridge deconstruction is complete, JCCBI will begin redeveloping the shoreline.
Continue removing the permanent reinforcements of the original Champlain Bridge
Continue work to deconstruct the spans using a system of platforms attached to lifting towers on a catamaran barge
Start the mechanical deconstruction of piers and footings on two separate barges
Continue preparatory work to take down the span over the seaway
Finalize the construction of the jetty abutting the seaway dike
Finalize the construction of the Brossard jetty once the boating channel closes in November 2021
Note that the schedule may change depending on how the work progresses and on weather conditions.
Nouvel Horizon Saint-Laurent (NHSL) will partially remove the jetty in the section adjacent to the Estacade entrance to recover materials that are no longer needed.
These materials will be used to complete the seaway dike jetty to reduce the need to bring new materials from quarries, which will decrease trucking in the network surrounding the project and lower greenhouse gases.
Phase 1 to install the 350-m jetty in Brossard is complete. Despite the many truck trips involved, the carbon footprint of this activity was quite limited since the vast majority of the materials came from the work site near the Samuel De Champlain Bridge less than 200 metres away.
Phase 2, which consists of extending the jetty into the Lesser La Prairie Basin, will be completed in fall 2021 once boating season is over. As with the Phase 1 work, this activity’s carbon footprint will be very limited since the vast majority of the required material to finish the construction is already being stored on the jetty and also comes from the Samuel De Champlain Bridge project.
A third jetty measuring 300 m by 62 m has been under construction on the St. Lawrence Seaway dike near the Champlain Bridge Estacade since July 2021 and will be completed in late fall 2021.
Note that all of these jetties will be used to take down structural bridge components along the shoreline where barges cannot be used due to the shallow water depth.
The deconstruction of the final components of the bridge on the Île des Sœurs jetty was completed in summer 2021: nine spans and eight piers and pier caps have been deconstructed. There are three footings located under the jetty that still need to be deconstructed.
Throughout the maritime work in Section 5, the jetty will be used as a transportation corridor from the quay berth. Located at the end of the jetty, this berth was built to dock the barges transporting deconstruction materials from work carried out on the river. This strategic location reduces trucking at the work site, decreases the number of trucks on the Champlain Bridge Estacade, and consequently lowers greenhouse gas emissions.
The two fish migration corridors, along with a biological monitoring system, were set up at the Île des Sœurs jetty to compensate for the impact of the jetty’s construction. The two resistivity sensors and 24 cameras in each of these corridors will help us ensure their effectiveness and document the species that come into the area.
JCCBI is also carrying out other projects to compensate for any fish habitat that may be lost due to the construction of the jetties. These projects represent an overall gain for the environment, as the site impacts are temporary, while the positives of the compensation projects are permanent!
With the help of six lifting towers, the “River Giant” has continued taking down the 30 spans of the original Champlain Bridge in the maritime sector. When extended to their maximum height, these towers lift the work platform as high as a nine-storey building.
For the next spans, the deconstruction cycle—from recovery by the lifting system and the deconstruction on the platform to the removal of waste by barge—will take an average of about seven days.
However, weather conditions, and specifically strong winds and heavy precipitation, could extend this cycle by a few days. The deconstruction teams will start removing the piers and footings using specialized barge-mounted excavators. The barges will be used as a work space and will help the teams take concrete debris toward the quay berth of the Île des Sœurs jetty.
In Brossard, the team will finish building the temporary jetty in the Lower La Prairie Basin, which was partially completed in spring 2021. Preparatory work will continue in order to take down the suspended span in winter 2022.
Trucking
Noise due to the deconstruction work and the off-site transportation of materials.
Dust emissions.
Occasional local traffic hindrances.
Sound level metres at the work site to ensure compliance with standards.
Air quality monitoring stations to ensure compliance with standards.
Method: Traditional mechanical deconstruction on land
Work steps:
Preparatory work
Dismantling of components (overhead signage, lights, etc.)
Components removed for the Research and Development program
Removal of reinforcements
Installation of temporary supports
Deconstruction of the spans and piers
Disposal and removal of debris
Restoration of the area
Method: Deconstruction from a platform on a catamaran barge
Work steps:
Preparatory work
Dismantling of components (overhead signage, lights, etc.)
Components removed for the Research and Development program
Removal of reinforcements
Span recovered with a system of platforms attached to lifting towers installed on a catamaran barge
Deconstruction of the span on the catamaran barge
Barge-based mechanical deconstruction of the piers and footings above and below the water level, from top to bottom
Debris disposal by barge
Methods used to remove the steel structure:
The suspended span will be placed on a barge with strand jacks and dismantled on the barge piece by piece.
The cantilever sections and anchor spans will be taken apart piece by piece using a crane set up on temporary jetties.
The piers will be mechanically deconstructed with high-capacity excavators.
Different structural components such as concrete panels, bearings, and girders were also given to the groups of the Research and Development program that is going on during the original Champlain Bridge deconstruction project.
