{"id":3132,"date":"2013-11-21T21:42:30","date_gmt":"2013-11-22T02:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/?p=3132"},"modified":"2013-11-22T12:29:10","modified_gmt":"2013-11-22T17:29:10","slug":"champlain_bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/champlain_bridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Commuters Advised to Avoid Champlain Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Champlain Bridge will be limited to two lanes in each direction until sometime in mid-December.<\/p>\n

Plans call for the cracked girder to be temporarily supported by a major beam in a two-day construction operation. The bridge will remain open during that operation, but only in a single lane each way. Presumably, those two days will occur when the weather warms up a bit and when high winds are not expected.<\/p>\n

The five-part beam that will be used for the operation is one of two built in 2009.<\/p>\n

A permanent repair won’t happen until next spring.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Nun\u2019s Island Bridge also has to be closed for another two weekends to repair a concrete slab prior to the winter freeze.<\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>
View of the Nun’s Island Bridge from the Ice Bridge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The cracked girder saga began last week. Champlain Bridge authority spokespeople advise all commuters to take public transit instead of driving on the bridge they operate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Corporation went to pains to stress all the intangibles and risks of traffic congestion to its partners,\u201d wrote Jean-Vincent Lacroix, Director of Communications on the bridge website, http:\/\/www.pontchamplainbridge.ca\/en\/<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cIt is therefore more important than ever to encourage public transit to avoid that traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

That statement was the best advice they had at the end of a last week, after they found a 2mm crack in an outside girder of the bridge. One of three southbound lanes will be closed until at least December 12 to enable the crack to be repaired with carbon fibre.<\/p>\n

Politicians then started getting involved.<\/p>\n

Denis Lebel, the federal minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs offered his sympathy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are aware of the impact that closing a lane of the Champlain Bridge will have on\u00a0Montreal-area residents,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is why the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI) is cooperating fully with the Government of Quebec, the Agence m\u00e9tropolitaine de transport and the municipalities in order to implement solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quebec\u2019s minister of transport Sylvain Gaudreault called all partners affected by the bridge to a meeting last Friday.<\/p>\n

After that meeting, Gaudreault joined Denis Coderre and Caroline St-Hilaire, the mayors of Montreal and Longueuil for a press statement. Together they announced a twelve-step program to alleviate traffic jams. The measures include more metro cars, more buses and free OPUS cards. The province also asked for a million dollars for its light rail project.<\/p>\n

One of the solutions was a decision to establish a reserve bus lane. This despite the bridge authority (JCCBI) recommendation that buses continue travelling within traffic as they had been doing since the lane closure Tuesday.<\/p>\n

For more information, refer to the Gaudreault press release, at: http:\/\/communiques.gouv.qc.ca\/gouvqc\/communiques\/GPQF\/Novembre2013\/14\/c7365.html<\/a><\/p>\n

In the meantime, various Montrealers spent the week trying to get the Federal Government to reconsider tolls, hold a design contest and speed up construction.<\/p>\n

The Federal Government responded by announcing the release of another study.<\/p>\n

According to Lebel, \u201cthe business case for the project, prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers, will be completed within a few weeks. This will represent another major step towards starting construction of the new bridge for the\u00a0St. Lawrence\u00a0as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more about his comments, see the Lebel press release, at http:\/\/www.newswire.ca\/en\/story\/1262489\/statement-by-minister-lebel-new-bridge-for-the-st-lawrence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Note: A version of this story appeared on page 6 of the West Island Edition of the Suburban yesterday.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Champlain Bridge will be limited to two lanes in each direction until sometime in mid-December. Plans call for the cracked girder to be temporarily supported by a major beam in a two-day construction operation. The bridge will remain open during that operation, but only in a single lane each way. Presumably, those two days […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-island-report","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2buQs-Ow","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15924,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/nuns-island-cut-mainland-verdun\/","url_meta":{"origin":3132,"position":0},"title":"Nun\u2019s Island cut off from Mainland Verdun","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"September 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Nun\u2019s Island residents will be even more cut off from the Verdun mainland than usual for the next few weeks. The access ramp to Highway 15 north closed completely at 10 p.m. last Sunday night. It won\u2019t open again until 5 a.m. on Monday, October 6. The Wellington Street exit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Verdun"","block_context":{"text":"Verdun","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/verdunposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bretelle-\u00cele-des-Soeurs-pour-15-Nord-d\u00e9tour-mis-en-place1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bretelle-%C3%8Ele-des-Soeurs-pour-15-Nord-d%C3%A9tour-mis-en-place1-600x437.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bretelle-%C3%8Ele-des-Soeurs-pour-15-Nord-d%C3%A9tour-mis-en-place1-600x437.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bretelle-%C3%8Ele-des-Soeurs-pour-15-Nord-d%C3%A9tour-mis-en-place1-600x437.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1318,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/champlain-bridge-replacement\/","url_meta":{"origin":3132,"position":1},"title":"No Expropriations Planned for Champlain Bridge Replacement","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"December 14, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 More than 300 people from Verdun and Brossard attended Transport Canada\u2019s pre-consultation about replacement plans for the Champlain Bridge last weekend. Many were worried that their homes might be expropriated for the project. \u201cWe were happy to say that no one will be expropriated,\u201d said Marc Brazeau, Transport Canada\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Island Report"","block_context":{"text":"Island Report","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/island-report\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Icebridge1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16267,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/january-council-meeting\/","url_meta":{"origin":3132,"position":2},"title":"January Council Meeting Roundup","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"February 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"During the January meeting of Verdun\u2019s borough council, citizens asked about road repair, snow clearing, traffic lights, green lanes, the bridge to Nun\u2019s Island, the potential beach, vandalism in the Metro, and the contamination at the ecological golf course and dark sky measures on Nun\u2019s Island. Mayor Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Parenteau confirmed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Verdun"","block_context":{"text":"Verdun","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/verdunposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3209,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/tolls-on-new-champlain-bridge\/","url_meta":{"origin":3132,"position":3},"title":"Tolls on New Champlain Bridge disappointing","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"January 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Early last year, Montreal\u2019s board of trade asked for a new Champlain Bridge paid for with tolls. \u201cWe are counting on the federal government to ensure that crossing the new bridge is affordable,\u201d reads their February 20 press release. \u201cAnd if a toll is required to get the new infrastructure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Island Report"","block_context":{"text":"Island Report","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/island-report\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2985,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/jean-francois-parenteau\/","url_meta":{"origin":3132,"position":4},"title":"Verdun Mayor Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Parenteau to Assist Executive Committee","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"November 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Denis Coderre named Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Parenteau, recently-elected\u00a0Mayor of Verdun, as an assistant member of Montreal\u2019s Executive Committee. He will concentrate on improving water infrastructure. Congratulations Mr. Parenteau. \u00a0 New Verdun Mayor: Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Parenteau Association: \u00c9quipe Denis Coderre pour Montr\u00e9al, http:\/\/www.equipedeniscoderre.com Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Parenteau will either inspire or scare you with his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Verdun"","block_context":{"text":"Verdun","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/verdunposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Parenteau","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Parenteau-288x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16143,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/verdun-strategic-plan\/","url_meta":{"origin":3132,"position":5},"title":"Verdun strategic plan now in force","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"December 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"A new bridge to Nun\u2019s Island, a beach and the auditorium renovation are highlighted in Verdun new ten-year strategic plan launched last month. Everything that has an impact on the quality of life for residents is considered,\u201d said Mayor Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Parenteau. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a vision for economic development, community and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Verdun"","block_context":{"text":"Verdun","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/verdunposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"homessmall","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/homessmall.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3132"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3140,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3132\/revisions\/3140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}