Work completed before schedule on Honoré Mercier Bridge - Reopening of the lanes on the federal section

LONGUEUIL, QC, July 29, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI) announces that the major works planned on the federal section during the summer have been completed and that all of the lanes on the Honoré-Mercier Bridge will reopen to traffic on August 2 at 8 a.m. This change to the planned end of the works (originally scheduled for August 17) was made possible thanks to advanced technical planning, a precise adherence to all of the worksite's key steps, and favourable weather conditions.

The JCCBI wishes to thank road users for their great patience during these major works.

These major works were carried out day and night in order to replace the deck section located above the St. Lawrence Seaway, replace the expansion joints, and carry out paving and painting work.

As a reminder, new prefabricated concrete slabs have a lifespan of approximately 75 years and allow workers to give the existing deck a significantly rejuvenated look.

Weekends required to finalize the work

Miscellaneous finalization works will take place during the next weeks, including demobilization of the worksite. During the weekends of August 8-9 and August 15-16 from Friday, 11 p.m. to Monday, 5 a.m., only one lane in each direction will be open and the Montreal-bound access ramp in La Prairie will be completely closed.

Replacement of bearing devices

As planned for 2015, the JCCBI will replace the bearing devices located under the federal section of the bridge. This replacement will take place on dates that have yet to be determined and will require two overnight complete closures of the bridge. The closures will be necessary to lift and lower the deck and replace the bearing devices with new ones.

Acknowledgements

The JCCBI also wishes to thank its partners for their support during these works: the MTQ for signage on their network and coordinating the hindrances, CITSO for the measures they have taken to ensure regular service, the CIT du Haut-Saint-Laurent for the special measures they've taken, ACQ, emergency services, the various municipalities bordering the immense worksite, the Roussillon RCM, and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake for their close collaboration.

The JCCBI also wishes to highlight the efforts and work of the contractor (Mohawk Bridge Consortium) and its team of workers who successfully met the significant challenge of the major works scheduled in 2015.

We would like to remind you that the Honoré Mercier Bridge is under both provincial and federal jurisdictions. For more information, take a look at the Ministère des Transports du Québec's (MTQ) web page and at the Jacques Cartier Champlain Bridges Incorporated's (JCCBI) web site.

SOURCE The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated

Julie Paquet, Director of Communications, The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), Office: 450 651-8771, ext. 232, Cell: 514 458-6925, [email protected]; Anne-Marie Braconnier, Communications Advisor, The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), Office: 450 651-8771, ext. 465, Cell: 514 292-4493, [email protected]