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.
You can also learn more about the methods to deconstruct the Champlain Bridge on this page. We will be providing more information about these methods in fall 2020.
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.
On Île des Sœurs, the deconstruction work will finish in summer 2021.
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.
Continuation of work from the Île des Sœurs shoreline to deconstruct the Champlain Bridge deck
Start-up of marine equipment near the seaway dike
Start of preparatory work to deconstruct the bridge over the river, with the removal of permanent reinforcements.
Note that the schedule may change depending on how the work progresses and on weather conditions.
The team from the Nouvel Horizon Saint-Laurent (NHSL) Corporation is installing a quay berth at the end of the Île des Sœurs jetty that will be used as a transfer point to transport and dispose of the deconstruction materials. This location was chosen to make the disposal route between the construction site and the final destination as short as possible to reduce trucking and therefore greenhouse gas emissions.
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.
A third jetty will be built on the St. Lawrence Seaway dike near the Champlain Bridge Estacade in summer 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 bridge deconstruction from the Île des Sœurs jetty is going well. NHSL crews are completing the demolition cycle for the eighth span out of nine. Each demolition cycle lasts approximately two weeks and includes preparatory and protection activities. The next step in the cycle is the mechanical demolition of the span, with clean-up as the last step.
In the coming weeks, this cycle will be repeated for the last time to complete the deconstruction of the entire deck over the Île des Sœurs jetty. This will be followed by the deconstruction of the remaining pier caps, piers and footings that support these decks, with the goal of completing all deconstruction work on the Île des Sœurs jetty by fall 2021. To maintain peace and quiet for residents, sound level meters and air quality measurement stations have been installed at different spots around the work site. Note that no citizen complaints have been received to date during this work.
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!
In the Île des Sœurs sector, NHSL will begin deconstructing the last span over the jetty in April and is continuing to deconstruct the piers and pier caps to complete all deconstruction work on the jetty by fall 2021.
Over the river, NHSL will remove over fifty permanent reinforcements using cranes on the bridge deck and from barges. The goal of this preparatory work is to disengage the spans from the bridge before the deconstruction begins.
At the Estacade jetty, which is a hive of activity, workers are busy putting together equipment on the catamaran barge to bring this future “giant of the river” to life.
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.
