Opened in 1939, and faithfully serving thousands of commuters ever since, the Le Gardeur Bridge is a key component of the Montreal regional highways network. An extension of Highway 138, it spans the Rivière des Prairies and connects the cities of Repentigny and Montreal, providing a good alternative to Highways 40 and 640.
Pomerleau's mandate:
- Demolition and reconstruction of the existing bridge deck and approaches.
- Rebuilding the piles.
- Incidental work.
The Challenges:
- Two lanes had to remain open at all time.Special provisions for rush hour traffic had to be set up on a daily basis.
- Strict environmental restrictions with stiff penalties (waterway and shorelines).
- Shipping lanes had to remain open at all times.
- Heavy loads were forbidden on the bridge.
- A barge had to be used for the demolition, building and concreting work.
Our Accomplishments:
- The 24 piers of the two bridges were retained.
- The new superstructure has 24 reinforced concrete headers, 4 abutments, +7 000 m³ of concrete, 50 000 t of granulates, 3 000 t of structural steel and more than 450 piles.
- The concrete deck rests on prefabricated steel beams with lengths of 38 to 49 m.
- Because the headers and abutments were rebuilt, the new bridge deck was able to accommodate a bus lane and a wider bicycle path.
- Thanks to the Pomerleau team's initiatives, the revitalized bridge was put into service almost four months earlier than scheduled.