/R E P E A T -- Major work blitzes return on the JCCBI network - A season of significant work on the Honoré Mercier and Champlain Bridges/

LONGUEUIL, QC, March 28, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI) would like to advise road users that major work BLITZES will once again take place on its network this year, most notably on the Champlain and Honoré Mercier Bridges.

Major work in the Champlain corridor will take place during intensive weekend BLITZES involving several different contractors working around the clock at various places on the bridge, the Bonaventure Expressway, the A15 and the Nuns' Island Bridge.

This work will take place over three to five weekends from late April to late June, depending on weather conditions and how the work progresses. Once again, this year's objective is to minimize the amount of weekends necessary to complete the projects.

During these weekends, the Corporation will take advantage to repair the roadway, carry out paving work, as well as replace expansion joints.

For the Jacques Cartier Bridge, the work planned will enable the reconstruction of the concrete guardrails on the bridge approaches as well as the reconfiguration of the off-ramp from the Jacques Cartier Bridge towards Taschereau Boulevard during the construction holiday. The bridge's bike path will also be entirely sealed during this period, which will require its complete closure. The sidewalk on the east side of the bridge may be used as an alternative.

Following 2012, when the entire Jacques Cartier Bridge was repaved in less than six days, the work planned for this year also aims to complete paving of the bridge approaches. This work will mainly be concentrated on weekends starting September.

An important year for the federal section of the Honoré Mercier Bridge

2013 will also be an important year for the federal section of the Honoré Mercier Bridge. On average, 175 slabs have been replaced each year over the past three years on the South Shore access ramps. This year, the objective is to replace more than 300 slabs to complete two-thirds of the work planned for 2013 and 2014.

To do so, this year's program aims to mainly carry out work on weeknights (8 p.m. to 5 a.m.) and weekends (10 to 15 times), starting in April. Regular notices and frequent updates will be posted on the mercierbridge.ca blog so that you may follow the work, as it won't systematically take place every night and weekend.

In addition to these time slots, it is very important to note that a major work BLITZ will take place day and night for one month this summer, from Saturday, July 13 to Sunday, August 11. During this BLITZ, one lane will be open in each direction (towards Montreal and towards the South Shore), day and night.

New IDS bypass bridge: preparing for the future

This year also marks the beginning of construction on a temporary bypass bridge between Montreal and Île des Sœurs, which will make it possible to isolate the current bridge and replace it as part of Transport Canada's project of the new bridge for the St. Lawrence River.

This new link will enable us to maintain the same amount of lanes as the current bridge, as well as a bike path, which will also be widened. In addition, it will allow us to dedicate a new lane to public transportation, giving buses coming from the reserved lane on the Champlain Bridge direct access to the Bonaventure Expressway during rush hour.

At the same time, the current traffic light on the A-15 towards Montreal that enables buses to access the reserved lane on the Champlain Bridge during afternoon rush hour will be eliminated.

The short-term objectives are to therefore offer a bypass lane for future work on the new Île des Sœurs Bridge, improve and encourage use of public transportation, and finally, prepare for the future of this changing area.

Work on this major project will have little impact on traffic this year, as most of this new link will be constructed on vacant land. For more information and to see the plans for the traffic lanes, bike path and dedicated bus lane, please visit champlainbridge.ca.

And finally, the JCCBI work calendar for 2013 is available online at our three blogs: jacquescartierbridge.ca, champlainbridge.ca and mercierbridge.ca.

Video with caption: "Rehabilitation project of the federal section of the Honoré-Mercier Bridge : Work completed in 2012 and planned in 2013.". Video available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70h2aykKets&sns=em

SOURCE: The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated

Jean-Vincent Lacroix
Director, Communications
The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI)
Office: 450 651-8771, ext. 232
Mobile: [phone]
[email protected]

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