News

Just six months after beginning work on the new Champlain Bridge Corridor Project, Signature on the Saint Lawrence is pleased to present Montrealers with a holiday gift: the first concrete footing has been poured for the western approach to the new Champlain Bridge and the 42 piles have been drilled for the main pylon of the cable-stayed portion of the structure.

First concrete footing for the new Champlain Bridge

Today, 250 cubic metres of concrete (weighing a total of 605 tonnes) from Lafarge’s facilities were poured over a six-hour period for the first footing. Its dimensions are impressive: 11 metres wide, 11 metres long and 2 metres high.

This foundation piece will remain in its casing for three days until the concrete has hardened sufficiently (a pressure of 15 MPa is required for the removal of the formwork). During the next phase, an initial section of pier will be poured at an angle directly above the centre of the footing, followed by the installation of the initial prefabricated pier segment. This process will be completed when a work platform is installed to facilitate the subsequent construction operations.

In spring 2016, the first footing will be transported and placed in its final position at the bottom of the river.

This footing, which will be the first permanent portion of the western approach to the bridge, marks the beginning of production for the concrete pieces prefabricated on the western jetty at Île-des-Soeurs. In order to meet the challenges associated with the demanding schedule for the new Champlain Bridge and to limit the transportation of components on roads and waterways, Signature on the Saint Lawrence opted to build three large jetties in the river to serve as work platforms. The western jetty is the only one that will be used as a prefabrication area for certain concrete pieces for the new bridge, in particular the footings.

Throughout 2016, the prefabrication area on the jetty will be operating at full capacity. A total of 38 concrete footings will be produced for the construction of the new Champlain Bridge.

Also this week, the team working on the cable-stayed portion of the bridge finished the drilling and concreting of the last two drilled caissons (out of a total of 42).

Looking ahead to 2016

Plenty of new challenges lie in store for the Signature on the Saint Lawrence team in 2016. Next year will also be marked by a number of exciting milestones as Montrealers watch the first permanent structures of the new Champlain Bridge emerge from land and wated.