Samuel De Champlain Bridge completion is drawing closer
Standing amid scaffolding and makeshift plywood walkways high above the river, Pierre Desroches looks to Montreal’s skyline and points to a familiar skyscraper with a triangular top: one of the first projects he ever worked on. “I worked on 1,000 de la Gauchetière right there in 1980. That’s the time when my daughter was born,” said Desroches, a site supervisor for Signature on the St-Lawrence (SSL), the consortium that is building the new Champlain Bridge. “I put the last washer at the top of that building.” Desroches, 56, is soon to be a grandfather and is at the pinnacle of his career. In fact, the St- Sauveur resident retired a year ago, but was called last April and pressed back into service as the project ramped up workers in an attempt to meet the December deadline. “This is my last project. To finish my career with a project like that, I can’t ask for more,” he said. Infrastructure Minister François-Philippe Champagne visited the bridge Wednesday to announce the final segments had been put in place on the 3.4-kilometre span, and to officially unveil its name: the Samuel De Champlain Bridge. Cars will be rolling on the $4.2-billion bridge, one of the widest in the world, no later than June 30, Champagne said, roughly six months later than its original deadline. Champagne would not say if the federal government would impose the agreed-upon penalties that could add up to $150 million, saying it will be negotiated between the two parties. Champagne saluted the workers and the progress they have made so far. “This morning is about celebrating our heroes,” he said. “The men and women who built this bridge (were here on) good days and bad days, in good weather and bad weather, 24 hours per day, seven days a week. I think what we have achieved in three-and-a-half years is iconic.” While there was a sense of finality in Champagne’s statements, it was clear to anyone standing on the bridge that much work still needs to be done before cars can drive on it. Because it was built in three separate parts, when the South Shore and Montreal sides came together above the seaway dike, there were 60 centimetres, or two feet, separating the sections, both vertically and horizontally. Daniel Genest, the director of co-ordination for SSL, said this is a normal occurrence for spans of this type, and the differential falls within the margins outlined in computer models at the beginning of the process. He explained that crews will remove heavy equipment off the Montreal side of the bridge, and add tension to the cables holding up the span in order to raise it by 60 centimetres. This winter, crews will complete the final connection and then install the last eight cables and the last 60 deck slabs. In the spring, a waterproof membrane will be added to the bridge before it is paved with asphalt. Workers will take a two-week break and then return in January to begin the final sprint. For David Milot, a warehouse storekeeper at the work site, the break will be a good opportunity to catch up on sleep. “I logged 3,000 hours this year, waking up at 4 a.m. six or seven days a week,” said Milot who ensures that vehicles are fuelled up, and that the appropriate tools and materials are available on the site. “I can tell you it takes a toll on your social and personal life. I don’t have a family, but I had a girlfriend. The bridge took her from me.” Site surveyor Guillaume Savaria said nearly everyone working on the bridge has made personal sacrifices. “We all logged a lot of hours,” he said. “It was a lot of weekends and nights. People who sign on to a project like this are aware that’s going to happen.” Despite the emphasis on security as part of the project, the nature of the work and the long hours has also meant many have had to leave the work site because of workplace injuries, Desroches said. Still, Desroches said he and his fellow workers feel tremendous pride to be part of the construction of the bridge, which is expected to stand for 125 years. “I’m really proud of this,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest projects in North America, and when it will be done, I’ll feel like this is my bridge.” Desroches said now that he has been called back to the work site, he intends to stay until the bridge is opened to traffic in June. Is he going to put the last washer on the bridge? “I’m going to try.”
It’s one of the biggest projects in North America, and when it will be done, I’ll feel like this is my bridge.