Montreal’s Champlain Bridge opens but late and over-budget

Montreal’s US$3.5-billion, 3.4km-long Samuel de Champlain Bridge has opened after four years of construction and months of delays, according to Canadian media reports. Work is continuing on the cycle and pedestrian paths and eventually a light-rail train will run down the middle of the six lane bridge over the St. Lawrence River. The new structure has a life-span of 125 years and runs alongside its namesake Champlain Bridge, a steel truss cantilever that opened in 1962 which will be demolished. Accord
June 27, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Montreal’s Champlain Bridge opens but late and over-budget
Montreal’s US$3.5-billion, 3.4km-long Samuel de Champlain Bridge has opened after four years of construction and months of delays, according to Canadian media reports.


Work is continuing on the cycle and pedestrian paths and eventually a light-rail train will run down the middle of the six lane bridge over the St. Lawrence River.

The new structure has a life-span of 125 years and runs alongside its namesake Champlain Bridge, a steel truss cantilever that opened in 1962 which will be demolished. According to media reports, the old bridge was the busiest in Canada, carrying over 50 million vehicles a year and an estimated $15 billion worth of trade.

Signature on the St Lawrence (SSL) - led by Canada-based SNC-Lavalin Group - is the private consortium that built the six-lane public-private project under a 30-year contract.

The new and old bridges are named after the French explorer Samuel de Champlain who founded Quebec City, the Quebec province’s capital, in 1608. Work includes construction of a smaller bridge for Île des Soeurs - Nun’s Island - and widening Autoroute 15 through the centre of Montreal.

World Highways %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external reported false https://www.worldhighways.com/categories/road-highway-structures/features/montreals-new-champlain-bridge-is-shaping-up-for-christmas/ false false%> on the progress of the bridge last year.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • A free bridge? You’ve got to be kidding.
    February 18, 2015
    Nothing will stop construction of another bridge crossing the Detroit River to ease traffic congestion around North America’s most important economic border. The New International Trade Crossing will be entirely financed and owned by the Canadian government under a public private partnership. It will link the US city of Detroit, in the state of Michigan, with the Canadian city of Windsor in the province of Ontario. The two cities already have the toll road Ambassador Bridge as well as a toll road tunnel and
    Read More
  • VIDEO: People see red over white elephant of a blue bike lane
    November 1, 2016
    The Scottish roads authority has backpedalled on its recently improved cycle lane along a major route on the south-west coast, close to the city of Ayr.

    Amid local authority concerns over traffic congestion and one man’s media-grabbing protest, the cycle lane will now be ripped out – after being installed this summer.

    As the video shows, it is a protected wide lane, often painted blue. Cars appear to travel freely beside it.
    Read More
  • Replace bridge for Vancouver’s Massey Tunnel could aid congestion
    December 21, 2015
    Opponents of a proposed 10-lane bridge near Vancouver, Canada, said the structure will encourage urban sprawl in a region that is already struggling with a booming population. The British Columbia provincial government recently opened the final round of public consultation for the planned 3.3km toll bridge likely to cost around US$2.54 billion.
    Read More
  • Consortia line up for Denmark’s Storstrom Bridge project
    February 12, 2015
    Samsung, Daewoo, Hyundai, Acciona, Ed Züblin, MT Højgaard and Per Aarsleff are among the bidders to build a bridge connecting the Danish islands of Zealand and Falstser. The Danish Road Directorate expects to choose five pre-qualified consortia for the Storstrom Bridge project in May and the bids for the project are scheduled to be submitted by April 2016. The new bridge, likely to cost around €565 million including the cost of demolishing the old bridge it will replace, is expected to open by 2021, a
    Read More

Highlighted Content