The Mercier Bridge was reopened to traffic at 5 a.m. Monday, one week ahead of schedule.
Crews have been working every day for the past six weeks to install 982 concrete panels into the deck.
READ MORE: Construction work on Mercier Bridge finishes ahead of schedule
The challenge: fitting the puzzle pieces of concrete together on the bridge’s ramps.
“The contractor anticipated it would be more complex,” said Catherine Tremblay, with Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated.
“We were able to come up with a solution right away.”
With work complete on the federal side of the bridge, the attention now turns to the provincial section, where work is just beginning.
“There will be major works,” promised Nomba Danielle, a spokesperson with Transports Quebec.
READ MORE: Mercier Bridge construction expected to finish ahead of schedule
Analysis is being done to figure out exactly what kind of action will be needed and how long it will take.
Work will soon start to re-enforce steel beams and piers under the federal section of the span.
“It’s more or less a ten year program,” said Tremblay.
“The advantage is it has little impact on the traffic because we’re working underneath the bridge.”
Both the federal and provincial governments are trying to get as much life out of the Mercier Bridge as they can.
READ MORE: Final push to finish construction on the Mercier Bridge
The new concrete deck is expected to last up to 75 years, but whether or not the entire span will last that long is another story.
“Our focus is a long-term rehabilitation,” said Tremblay.
“What we did with the deck and what we’re planning with the piers, it can last a couple of decades and maybe more.”
For the 80,000 vehicles that use the bridge every day, seeing only a handful of orange cones may be a welcome change.
Comments