Champlain Bridge deconstruction

Deconstruction & maintenance

The Nouvel Horizon St-Laurent s.e.n.c (NHSL) consortium, formed by Pomerleau and Delsan-A.I.M. Environmental Services, has been retained for the deconstruction of the original Champlain Bridge. We are responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of the bridge during the deconstruction phase to ensure the public’s safety.

Beyond ensuring the structural integrity of the bridge, we must also do the following:

• Quickly dismantle a section at the outset (for future Metropolitan Express Network work near Nuns' Island)
• Adhere to the work periods authorized by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in sensitive aquatic areas
• Coordinate our operations with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation and Transport Canada
• Track the water and ice levels in the river during marine work

During the deconstruction phase, we will dismantle the structure in sections, according to the material (concrete or steel) and the type of access (land or sea), like a dismantling chain. We have also adopted an innovative approach, designing a "superstructure" to support the edge beams of the concrete spans that need to be removed as we remove the wire mesh reinforcement.

This large-scale project involves many major challenges—strict requirements and considerable coordination constraints —that require our team to be highly ingenius.

Low water level

To compensate for the low water level preventing us from approaching the structure with barges, we set up riprap jetties to support the deconstruction equipment.

Demolition above route 132

We will close traffic lanes during the night and weekends and move entire spans outside the lanes, allowing us to demolish them directly on the ground.