/R E P E A T -- Champlain Bridge - Major Work BLITZ Completed in Three Weekends: A Real Success/

LONGUEUIL, QC, June 19, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI) wishes to inform road users that the major work blitz carried out on the Champlain Bridge was completed last weekend.

It will have taken three weekends to complete the major work scheduled on the bridge this year, namely the replacement of four expansion joints, the replacement of the central median on more than 1.5 km and the paving of a 9000 square meters section of the bridge. In addition to the roadwork carried out on the bridge's roadway, work was completed on the federal section of Highway 15, which included the paving of the southbound portion of the highway (around 19 300 square meters), as well as the repair of an overpass.

In addition to the scheduled work, we were also able to complete almost 13 000 square meters of paving on the bridge's corridor.

Let us remind you that in order to reduce the amount of traffic hindrances, significant efforts have been made to concentrate work during spring, mostly over weekends. For example, last year there were 10 major weekend closures on the Champlain Bridge corridor, whereas this year the Corporation carried out the scheduled work on the bridge over three weekends, which is essentially three times faster than last year.

"At the beginning of the season, we had an ambitious agenda aiming for three to six weekends to complete all the work that needed to be done on the Champlain Bridge. To have carried out the work over the course of only three weekends is beyond what we could have wished for. The success of this latest work blitz shows the numerous efforts undertaken by our team over winter and spring to minimize the impact of the roadwork on road users", stated Glen P. Carlin, General Manager of the Corporation.

Continuation of the work underneath the bridge

Work will continue over the next several months, but underneath the bridge this time. There will be no impact on traffic as the work will focus on the repair of pillars, beams and bridge pier caps (head of bridge pillars). However, partial night closures are scheduled during this period. Nearly one hundred workers will be bustling about underneath the bridge until winter.

Roadwork is also planned on the bridge approaches, namely on the Clément Bridge, over one or two weekends at the beginning of July, and on the L'Île-des-Sœurs Bridge, over the course of one weekend at the end of the summer. By alternating the work on these bridges, it will be possible to provide efficient alternate routes to access or exit the Champlain Bridge.

Source and information:
Jean-Vincent Lacroix 
Director, Communications
The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI)
Office: 450 651-8771, ext. 232
Cell: 514 249-1940
[email protected] 

André Girard
Vice-President, Communications
The Federal Bridge Corporation
Tel.: [phone]
[email protected]