Significant portion of iconic Champlain bridge taken down

For the last 18 months, drivers who frequented the Samuel de Champlain bridge have witnessed the slow deconstruction of the former crossing.

Over the weekend a significant portion of the iconic 60 year old steel structure was taken down.

Measuring 118 meters, the longest section of the bridge was separated from the main structure.

READ MORE: Deconstruction of the Champlain Bridge underway

Using six hydraulic string jacks and over 300 steel wires it took a crew of 50 people more than 14 hours to lower the 22 hundred ton steel frame.

The large undertaking meant the steel had to be reinforced to withstand the weight before it was lowered 33 meters over the St. Lawrence River on to a floating barge.

“That required several months of prep work they had been reinforcing the steel structure in the Fall to make sure, once separated from the bridge, it would not twist around and be stable,” Nathalie Lessard spokesperson for The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated said.

This segment of the project could only be done during the cold winter months according to  Lessard, when the St Lawrence commercial seaway is closed to traffic.

“We only have short window we only have three months to do the operation. We decided to do it all at once so we can perform the work without impacting the navigation channel,” Simon Hébert Assistant Director of Nouvel Horizon Saint-Laurent.

Lessard says 50 percent of the aging span has be dismantled.

A total of 287 tons of material will be produced from the deconstruction project.

90 percent of the material from the old bridge will be recycled and or reused Lessard said.

READ MORE:Champlain Bridge deconstruction set to be finished by January 2024

According to Lessard the $225 M  project is currently on track to stay on budget.

It is also expected to remain on schedule with a completion date some time in January of 2024.