PRESS RELEASE | The Jacques Cartier Bridge Celebrates its 90th Anniversary! | PJCCI
PRESS RELEASE | The Jacques Cartier Bridge Celebrates its 90th Anniversary!
May 14, 2020 History Jacques Cartier Bridge Press releases
PRESS RELEASE | The Jacques Cartier Bridge Celebrates its 90th Anniversary!

The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI) is proud to mark the 90th anniversary of the Jacques Cartier Bridge, which has served as an essential corridor between Montreal and the South Shore since May 14, 1930. JCCBI has been managing this iconic structure since 1978 and is taking great care of the bridge to extend its service life until 2080.
 

To honour this 90th anniversary, JCCBI has taken a look back at nine decades of history, innovation, engineering and mobility in the video above that the public is invited to watch!
 

‘’With its quality design and construction, the Jacques Cartier Bridge has become a critical piece of infrastructure for Quebec and an emblem of strength in Montreal,” said the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “It has helped move people and goods for decades and has turned on its rainbow lights every night during this pandemic as a sign of support for Montreal, Canada and the whole world. It will see us through this crisis and will continue to meet the needs of the region for many more years ahead.”
 

We also invite you to watch the video Government of Canada marks the 90th anniversary of the Jacques Cartier Bridge where the Honourable Catherine McKenna looks back at the history of the Jacques Cartier Bridge.
 

“Over the past 90 years, hundreds of people have topped each other’s ingenuity to build the Jacques Cartier Bridge, keep it safe, and make it last. Our team is now working hard to extend the bridge’s service life to its 150th anniversary,” said Sandra Martel, Engineer and Chief Executive Officer, JCCBI. “Recently, the bridge was lit up in rainbow colours to symbolize hope amid the pandemic. On its May 14 anniversary, we can look to this bridge as something that has gone through hard times yet still stands proudly in the heart of Greater Montreal. Its longevity is a message of strength and resilience.”
 

Key milestones of the Jacques Cartier Bridge:
 

  • May 26, 1925: Groundbreaking ceremony
  • May 14, 1930: The Jacques Cartier Bridge opens to traffic
  • June 1956: Inauguration of a fourth lane
  • June 1959: Opening of a fifth lane (current configuration)
  • September 1959: Installation of an automated toll system (abolished in 1962)
  • 1978: Management of this federal bridge is transferred to JCCBI
  • 1989: Painting work on the steel structure starts that will last for over ten years
  • 2001: Largest bridge deck replacement project ever conducted in Canada
  • 2002: Opening of a bicycle path
  • 2017: Illumination project to make the Jacques Cartier the world’s first “people-connected” bridge

Every year, the Jacques Cartier Bridge is crossed by over 30 million vehicles as well as hundreds of thousands of cyclists and pedestrians who use the sidewalk or multipurpose path.
 

Do not miss the photo album created for this 90th anniversary, please click here.
 

For more details about the bridge, please visit our web page.

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