Our Work
2013 WORK PLAN
We invite you to consult our 2012 WORK SUMMARY to gain a better understanding of the work that was completed last year.
The work planned for 2013 is now available. We encourage you to download and consult our preliminary work calendar for the year.
This calendar is subject to change according to weather conditions and worksite progression, but shows the weekends targeted for work on each bridge. You will also note that work on our three bridges has been spread out over different times of year without any overlap.
You can also consult our detailed plan for each bridges :
- 2013 Work Plan – Jacques Cartier Bridge
- 2013 Work Plan – Champlain Corridor
- 2013 Work Plan – federal section of the Honoré-Mercier Bridge
For more information, view this Power Point presentation showing and explaining our global plan for the year:
ENGINEERING AND INNOVATION
To ensure the good working condition of the Champlain Bridge corridor, our Corporation has established an extensive 10-year maintenance program that began in 2009. This rigorous and meticulous program allows us to perform the necessary construction work required to preserve the safety of this structure in the years to come. We believe that innovation is the best way to meet these challenges, and our engineers constantly strive to outdo each other in order to develop unique support systems designed especially for our bridges. An excellent example of their work is a post-tension system designed to cater to the bridge’s specific needs, which is currently being installed. Post-tension systems involve the installation of immense steel rods that compress the concrete on the bridge’s pillars, beams or deck. This steel skeleton reinforces and solidifies the bridge’s structural components by returning them to their initial strength.
Approximately nine engineers within the Corporation are involved in the bridge maintenance program, including three who are dedicated to the project on an almost full-time basis. This internal expertise is particularly important, allowing us to prioritize the work in a coherent and strategic manner, based on annual inspection reports. This allows us to recommend tailored work plans for the bridge. In previous years, we have implemented reinforcement techniques that are unique to the Champlain Bridge. We have also installed monitoring sensors that allow us to monitor the bridge’s state 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At the end of the year (2013), around 210 sensors will have been installed. This detailed tracking allows us be more efficient in planning the maintenance work that needs to be done.
The experts involved in this project must constantly aim to find appropriate solutions that have a minimal impact on traffic, a major challenge that we face every day. It is inconceivable for us to restrict lane use on one of Canada’s busiest bridges during rush hour. A tremendous amount of planning is required, which is why all work requiring access to the deck (e.g., paving, replacement of expansion joints or the central median) is performed at night and on weekends.
MAJOR MAINTENANCE PROGRAM ON THE CHAMPLAIN BRIDGE
The Champlain Bridge work is being carried out both ON and UNDER the bridge. The work UNDER the bridge (repairs and reinforcement of beams, piers and pier caps) will not cause any obstructions to traffic. These ongoing repairs are being carried out by approximately 75-125 workers every week over a period of 10-11 months per year.
Work ON the bridge (paving, replacement or repair of expansion joints and maintenance of the central median) requires major closures of traffic lanes. To significantly reduce the inconvenience for motorists, the work will be mainly carried out at night and on weekends.
To keep motorists informed about these road obstructions, we publish notices every day between 3 PM and 5 PM to announce scheduled weeknight road obstructions.
We also occasionally publish specific notices to announce scheduled major road obstructions on weekends. To provide an overview of our plans every year, future work schedules are also prepared. However, since weekend closures often depend on weather forecasts, it is important to regularly consult our blogs to monitor possible changes to our original plans.
FOLLOW OUR WORK
To follow our work and better plan your trips, follow our projects on three different blogs:
The purpose of these blogs is to inform the public about the work carried out on our network. Our goal is to transparently announce and describe scheduled road obstructions in order to significantly reduce the impact on users.
All work presents various challenges and issues. The complexity of these structures and related work require regular follow-up on a daily basis. The three blogs describe our work and related closures on a regular basis using maps, graphs and photographs. The blogs also allow the public to express their views about our projects. Ask a question, give your opinion or comment on one of our posts – we are interested in hearing from you.
Receive directly an email notification as soon as our work are announced.
