Skip to main content

VIDEO: How many Caterpillars does it take to demolish a bridge in Canada?

August 12, 2015
At least nine, all in a row, according to a recent video shot in a town close to Montreal in the eastern province of Quebec.

It was feeding time last month for a clutch of 178 Caterpillar’s hydraulic 350 and 336D excavators as they nibbled, pounded and munched their way through the redundant road bridge in Vaudreuil.

The Avenue St-Charles overpass was surplus to requirements after a multi-million dollar interchange revamp was completed that included building a wider bridge next to the old one.

The hungry little critters reportedly took only several hours to complete the night-time task.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • VIDEO: Saskatoon’s Traffic Bridge demolished to make way for new bridge
    January 11, 2016
    A 100-year-old Parker truss bridge in western Canada had no official name until its 90th birthday, in 2007. Now, The Traffic Bridge – across the South Saskatchewan River in the city of Saskatoon - is no more, after its demolition earlier this month.

    The Traffic Bridge, nearly 6m wide and 290m long and took a year to build, and was Saskatoon’s first bridge across the river when it opened in 1907. The bridge was built by Winnipeg city-based John D. Gunn and Sons.
  • Caterpillar’s 313F excavator and M318 wheel loader shine in Spain
    May 19, 2015
    Caterpillar’s hallmark has been to stake its brand value on the ability to improve on products already considered very good. So it was with some pride that the global group unveiled its new 313F L GC tracked excavator during a dealer and media demonstration conference in Malaga, southern Spain in early March. The 313’s close cousin is the 312E, a high-use machine designed to put in long hours to maximise the owner’s productivity over the machine’s life cycle. The machine’s owner likely gets paid by the h
  • Flyover replacement
    February 22, 2012
    French contractor DSD Démolition was one of three firms that worked on the recent demolition of the A55 highway flyover in Marseilles, France. The 20-year-old flyover stood near the harbour and formed part of a main route through Marseille leading to Lyon and Avignon. However, it was an ugly structure and spoiled the city's landscape so as part of the wider regeneration taking part in Marseille's harbour, the 1.3km bridge had to be demolished within three months. DSD Démolition had two operators for each of
  • Zipping up road lanes
    September 28, 2018
    QMB has a Lindsay Road Zipper on duty near Montreal. World Highways deputy editor David Arminas climbed aboard As vice president of Canadian barrier specialist QMB, based in Laval, Quebec, Marc-Andre Seguin is sanguine about the future for moveable barriers. On the one hand, it looks good. The oft-stated advantage of moveable barriers is that the systems are cheaper to install than adding a lane or two to a highway or bridge. Directional changes to lanes can boost volume on a road without disrupting tra