List of bridges to the Island of Montreal explained

Like most major cities, Montreal needs easy highway access from its suburbs and surrounding areas. However, because Montreal was built on an island surrounded by three rivers, it can be entered by land only on a bridge or through a tunnel. Although the city was founded in 1642,[1] it was not until 1847 that the first fixed link to the outside was established when a wooden bridge was built across Rivière des Prairies to Île Jésus, on the site of what is now Ahuntsic Bridge. Another bridge was built immediately afterward, a few kilometers west, which became Lachapelle Bridge, and another in 1849, Pont des Saints-Anges, to the east.[2] The latter bridge collapsed in the 1880s and was never rebuilt.[2]

With the advent of the railroad, Montreal got a fixed link to the mainland; in 1854 railroad bridges were built in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, across both channels of the Ottawa River, linking Montreal Island to Ontario and the Vaudreuil-Soulanges peninsula through Perrot Island.[3] In 1860, Montreal got its first link to the South Shore with the construction of Victoria Bridge, which was, at the time of its opening, the longest bridge in the world.[4] Indirect links to the North Shore also had to wait for railroad construction, but this took longer; the Canadian Pacific Railway opened its link to Saint-Jérôme in 1876, through Île Jésus.[2]

Crossings

This list of bridges and other fixed links serving the Island of Montreal proceeds counter-clockwise around the island from southwest, at the exit of Lake Saint-Louis, downstream along the St. Lawrence River, then upstream along Rivière des Prairies all the way to Lake of Two Mountains, then downstream again along the East Channel of the Ottawa River until it reaches Lake Saint-Louis. The year of construction is that of the structure currently in place, accompanied by the year of construction of the original structure if the current one replaced an older span.

Spanning the Saint Lawrence River and Saint Lawrence Seaway

The crossing of the Saint Lawrence River has always proved problematic for engineers due to width, depth, currents, and ice cover. The construction of Victoria Bridge for the Grand Trunk Railway, which, at, was the longest bridge in the world when it first opened in 1860,[4] highlighted the problems presented by this natural obstacle.[5] Not to be outdone by its rival, however, the Canadian Pacific Railway built its own span, the Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge, upstream from the Lachine Rapids in 1886[6] for which the Mohawks of Kahnawake were hired to erect the steel superstructure.[7] Although Victoria Bridge was also used as a road crossing since 1898, it was not before the 1930s that two fully dedicated road bridges, Jacques-Cartier and Mercier, were built.[8] [9] More spans, including Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge–Tunnel and Champlain Bridge, were built in the 1960s.[10] [11] No new span was built for over 50 years, until a replacement Champlain Bridge was constructed at the cost of several billion dollars. It opened in 2019, while the previous span was closed to traffic to be demolished.

The construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in the 1950s required extensive modifications for all spans that existed at the time. Those are not reflected in the table below.

SpanPictureFirst span builtCurrent span builtCommunities linkedCarriesName originCoordinates
Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge18861910(M) Borough of LaSalleSaint Lawrence River45.4189°N -73.6594°W
(O) Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve
Honoré Mercier Bridge1934, 1963(M) Borough of LaSalle
Route 138		Honoré Mercier (1840–1894), Premier of Quebec45.4167°N -73.655°W
(O) Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve
Champlain Bridge Ice Structure1964[12] (M) Borough of VerdunRoute Verte 1 and 2Samuel de Champlain (c. 1580–1635), founder of Quebec City45.4658°N -73.5197°W
(O) St. Lawrence Seaway levee
Samuel De Champlain Bridge19622019(M) Borough of Verdun
Autoroutes 10, 15, and 20		45.4686°N -73.5208°W
(I) Île des Sœurs (exit)
(O) Brossard
Victoria Bridge18601898(M) Borough of Le Sud-OuestQueen Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819–1901)45.4914°N -73.5294°W
(O) Saint-Lambert
Pont de la Concorde and Pont des Îles1965[13] (M) Borough of Ville-MariePierre-Dupuy Avenue and Route Verte 1 and 2Reference to Montreal's motto, Concordia salus45.5061°N -73.5381°W (Pont de la Concorde)45.5078°N -73.5303°W (Pont des Îles)
(O) Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame (Parc Jean-Drapeau), borough of Ville-Marie, Montreal
Montreal Metro Tunnel1966[14] (M) Borough of Ville-Marie (Berri-UQAM station) Line 4 Yellow45.5°N -105°W
(I) Île Sainte-Hélène (Jean-Drapeau station) and Île Notre-Dame
(O) Longueuil, borough of Vieux-Longueuil (Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke station)
Jacques Cartier Bridge1930(M) Borough of Ville-Marie
Route 134Pedestrians and bicycles		Jacques Cartier (1491–1557), French explorer45.5214°N -73.5411°W
(I) Île Sainte-Hélène (exit) and Île Notre-Dame
(O) Longueuil, borough of Vieux-Longueuil
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge–Tunnel1967(M) Borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Autoroute 25/Trans-Canada Highway		Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine (1807–1864), Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada45.5833°N -73.4975°W
(I) Île Charron (Îles de Boucherville) (exit)
(O) Longueuil, borough of Vieux-Longueuil

Spanning the Rivière des Prairies

Although the Rivière des Prairies is much smaller than the Saint Lawrence, bridge construction there did not begin until the 1840s—when rapid construction began on three wooden toll bridges to what is now Laval, one of which, Pont des Saints-Anges, collapsed in the 1880s and was never rebuilt.[2] The existence of regular ferry services across the river is attested from 1813,[15] but these ferries were discontinued when the bridges opened. The first railroad across the river was opened in 1876, and the Bordeaux Railway Bridge is the oldest fixed link to Laval that is still standing. (Another bridge across Rivière des Mille Îles, which was part of the same line, collapsed in 1882 but was immediately rebuilt.[2]) The highway construction boom of the 1960s and 1970s led to the construction of four new freeway bridges across the river, and the upgrading of the existing Pie IX Bridge to freeway standards.[2]

SpanPictureFirst span builtCurrent span builtCommunities linkedCarriesName originCoordinates
Le Gardeur Bridge1939 (widened 1975)[16] (M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
Route 138 and Route Verte 5		Pierre Le Gardeur de Repentigny (1605–1648), French lord[17] 45.7036°N -73.4836°W
(I) Île Bourdon
(O) Repentigny
Laurier Railway Bridge1904(M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-TremblesWilfrid Laurier (1841–1919), Prime Minister of Canada45.7028°N -73.4856°W
(I) Île Bourdon
(O) Charlemagne
Charles de Gaulle Bridge1965[18] (M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
Autoroute 40		Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970), President of France45.7019°N -73.5089°W
(O) Charlemagne
Olivier-Charbonneau Bridge2011 (M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles Autoroute 25Olivier Charbonneau (c.1613-1687), first European settler of Île Jésus.[19] 45.6378°N -73.6206°W
(O) Laval (Saint-François)
Pie IX Bridge19371967(M) Borough of Montreal North
Route 125		Pope Pius IX (1792–1878)45.5992°N -73.6469°W
(O) Laval (Saint-Vincent-de-Paul)
Centrale de la Rivière des Prairies1930[20] [21] (M) Borough of Ahuntsic-CartiervilleHydro-Québec
<		-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: -->Rivière des Prairies45.5881°N -73.6558°W
(I) Île de la Visitation and Île du Cheval de Terre
(O) Laval (Duvernay)
Papineau-Leblanc Bridge1969[22] (M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Autoroute 19		Louis-Joseph Papineau (1786–1871), leader of the Patriote movement
Alpha Leblanc (1908–1962), local landowner		45.5761°N -73.6669°W
(I) Île de la Visitation
(O) Laval (Duvernay)
Viau Bridge (Ahuntsic Bridge)18471962 (widened 1993)(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Route 335		Ahuntsic, Huron boy who drowned in 1625[23] The origin of the name Viau is uncertain.[24] 45.5572°N -73.6756°W
(O) Laval (Pont-Viau)
Montreal Metro Tunnel2007[25] (M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville (Henri-Bourassa station) Line 2 Orange45.55°N -113°W
(O) Laval (Cartier station)
Bordeaux Railway Bridge1876(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-CartiervilleBordeaux, former town45.5481°N -73.6994°W
(I) Île Perry[26]
(O) Laval (Laval-des-Rapides)
Médéric Martin Bridge1958 (widened 1991)[27] (M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Autoroute 15/Trans-Canada Highway		Médéric Martin (1869–1946), Mayor of Montreal45.5403°N -73.7125°W
(O) Laval (Laval-des-Rapides)
Lachapelle Bridge (Cartierville Bridge)18481930, 1975(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Route 117		Pascal Persillier-Lachapelle, builder of the first bridge[28] 45.5331°N -73.7286°W
(O) Laval (Chomedey)
Louis Bisson Bridge1975[29] (M) Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro
Autoroute 13		Louis Bisson (1909–1997), Canadian aviator45.5117°N -73.765°W
(O) Laval (Chomedey / Sainte-Dorothée)
Île Bigras railway crossing1916[30] (M) Borough of Pierrefonds-RoxboroCN
Formerly used by the Deux-Montagnes commuter train (currently being replaced by the Réseau express métropolitain)		(no official name)45.5164°N -73.8478°W
(I) (Île Bigras)
Île-Bigras commuter train station
(O) Laval (Sainte-Dorothée)
Jacques Bizard Bridge18931966(M) Sainte-Geneviève, Montreal, borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-GenevièveBoulevard Jacques BizardJacques Bizard (1642–1692), local seigneur45.4875°N -73.8681°W
(O) Île Bizard (Montreal, borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève)

Spanning the Lake of Two Mountains and the Ottawa River East Channel

The first railway bridge to Montreal Island was the Grand Trunk Railway bridge across the Ottawa River East Channel. Along with another bridge built simultaneously across the West Channel, this bridge provided the first fixed link from Montreal to the mainland.[3] It was not until 1925, however, that a fixed road link, formed by Galipeault Bridge and Taschereau Bridge, was built across the Ottawa River from Montreal Island.[31] Île Perrot was the only way out of Montreal to the West before the construction of Île aux Tourtes Bridge, which goes directly to Vaudreuil across the Lake of Two Mountains.[31]

All three spans across the Ottawa River East Channel are twinned by another span, built simultaneously, across the West Channel.

SpanPictureFirst span builtCurrent span builtCommunities linkedCarriesName originCoordinates
Île aux Tourtes Bridge1966(M) Senneville
Autoroute 40/Trans-Canada Highway		Île aux Tourtes (literally, Wild Pigeon island)[32] 45.4203°N -73.9853°W
(Across Lake of Two Mountains)
(I) Île Girwood, Île aux Tourtes
(O) Vaudreuil-Dorion
Canadian Pacific Rail Bridge1893[33] (M) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue(no official names)45.4033°N -73.9567°W
(Across Canal Sainte-Anne)
(I) Île Bellevue
(O) Île Perrot
Canadian National Rail Bridge1854(M) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue45.4033°N -73.9567°W
(Across Canal Sainte-Anne)
(I) Île Bellevue
(O) Île Perrot
Galipeault Bridge19251991, 2009[34] (M) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Autoroute 20 and Route Verte 5		Antonin Galipeault (1879–1971), Quebec politician45.4028°N -73.9558°W
(Across Canal Sainte-Anne)
(I) Île Bellevue
(O) Île Perrot

See also

Notes

The section of Honoré-Mercier bridge spanning over the St. Lawrence Seaway was rebuilt to seaway standards in the 1950s. The bridge was twinned by an identical one, on the downriver side, which opened in 1963.[9]

The Champlain Bridge Ice Structure, known in French as "l'Estacade Champlain," was built to control ice floes coming from the Laprairie Basin.[12]

At the north end of Champlain Bridge, two spans, one north-south (aut. 15 and 20) and one east-west (aut. 10) connect Île des Sœurs to I. of Montreal. These two spans, called Pont Île-des-Sœurs and Pont Clément, are part of the Champlain Bridge complex.[10]

Victoria Bridge was built as a one-track tubular bridge which opened in 1860. It was the first bridge to cross the St. Lawrence River, and the longest bridge in the world. It was rebuilt as a two-track truss bridge in 1898. The South Y approach was rebuilt around the Saint-Lambert locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1961.[5]

Pont de la Concorde (Concorde Bridge) and Pont des Îles ("Bridge of the Islands") were built for Expo 67.[13] Pont de la Concorde connects Montreal Island to Saint Helen's Island, while Pont des Îles connects Saint Helen's Island to Notre-Dame Island.

Jacques-Cartier Bridge was originally named Harbour Bridge/Pont du Havre, and renamed after Jacques Cartier in 1934 (400th anniversary of Cartier's first voyage). The section over the St. Lawrence Seaway was lifted to a new height in 1962.[8]

The Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine complex consists of a tunnel from Montreal to Île Charron and a bridge from Île Charron to the South Shore.[11]

Construction of the Highway 25 Bridge started in early 2008 and was finished in May 2011. It is a toll bridge.

The Rivière des Prairies hydro complex is a set of three dams: one from Montreal I. to Île de la Visitation (west of the Papineau-Leblanc Bridge), which includes a footpath; another between Île de la Visitation and Île du Cheval de Terre; and the longest span between Île du Cheval-de-Terre and Île Jésus. Île de la Visitation is joined to Montreal by another two small bridges: a road bridge, which also serves as a dam (historically, a water mill) and a footbridge.

The railway crossing at Île Bigras consists of two spans, one north and one south of Île Bigras.

A structure known as "Île Bray Bridge" was abandoned while still under construction in favor of Île aux Tourtes Bridge.[31]

Galipeault Bridge was first built in 1925 and doubled in 1964. Both spans have been replaced since. Taschereau Bridge, which was part of the same project, spans the West Channel along the same highway.[31]

References

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Encyclopedia Americana: a library of universal knowledge, Volume 19 . University of Wisconsin – Madison . 1919 . 415 .
  2. Book: Dion , Richard . André Bernier . Serge Philibert . Georges Leahy . Sylvie Lalonde . Analyse historique et architecturale sur le patrimoine lavallois, volume 1 . fr . Pluram Inc . 47–51 . 1981.
  3. Book: Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue 1703–2003 . Paroisse Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue . 2003 . 125, 130 . 2-9808057-0-X.
  4. Book: Sweetser , Moses Foster . New England; a handbook for travellers . 1877 . . 391.
  5. Web site: The Victoria Bridge . City of Montreal . 2003 . 2009-09-14.
  6. Werry . S.D. . Rails across the river: the story of the St. Lawrence Bridge (1881–1915) . Can. J. Civ. Eng. . 1997 . 24 . 480–488.
  7. Book: Johansen , Bruce Elliott . The encyclopedia of Native American economic history . . 1999 . Westport, CT . 166 . 978-0-313-30623-5.
  8. Web site: The Jacques Cartier Bridge: History . Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated . 2009-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090705172348/http://www.pjcci.ca/English/jacques-cartier/historique.HTM . 2009-07-05.
  9. Web site: Les Ponts Jacques-Cartier . Champlain Incorporée . Histoire du pont Mercier . fr . Les Ponts Jacques-Cartier et Champlain Incorporée . 2009-07-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20010525091020/http://www.pjcci.ca/Francais/honore-mercier/construction.htm . 2001-05-25.
  10. Web site: The Champlain Bridge and Bonaventure Expressway . Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated . 2009-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100729161605/http://www.pjcci.ca/English/champlain/historique.HTM . 2010-07-29.
  11. Web site: Pont-tunnel Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine (40 ans). fr. Transports Québec. 2009-08-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716213707/http://www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/portal/page/portal/regions/montreal_ile/pont_tunnel_louis_h_lafontaine40ans#documentation. 2011-07-16. |language=French
  12. Web site: The Champlain Bridge Ice Control Structure . Les Ponts Jacques-Cartier et Champlain Incorporée . 2009-07-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110614133130/http://www.pjcci.ca/English/estacade/historique.htm . 2011-06-14.
  13. Web site: Fiche toponymique . fr . Commission de toponymie du Québec . 2007 . 2009-08-24.
  14. Web site: Important dates in STM's history . Société de Transport de Montréal . 2009-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090621034501/http://www.stm.info/English/en-bref/a-dates.htm . 2009-06-21.
  15. Book: Boulanger , Micheline . Histoire de l'Île Bizard . fr . . 2008 . 138 . 978-2-89586-038-9. etal.
  16. Book: Charlemagne et son histoire . fr . Comité des fêtes du soixante-quinzième anniversaire de Charlemagne . 1986 . 134–135 . 2-9800711-1-0.
  17. Web site: Marchi . François . Pierre Le Gardeur (1605–1648) . fr . 2007 . 2009-08-24.
  18. Book: Lachenaie: 300 ans d'histoire à découvrir . fr . Corporation du Tricentenaire de Lachenaie . 1983 . 400 .
  19. Web site: Fiche toponymique . fr . Commission de toponymie du Québec . 2012 . 2012-06-20.
  20. Book: Fortin , Jean-Claude . Jacques Saint-Pierre . Normand Perron . Histoire de Laval . fr . . 2008 . 109 . 978-2-7637-8859-3 .
  21. Web site: La centrale de la Rivière-des-Prairies . Hydro-Québec . 2009-07-20. [Hydro-Québec]
  22. Web site: Fiche toponymique . fr . Commission de toponymie du Québec . 2007 . 2009-08-24.
  23. Web site: Fiche toponymique . fr . Commission de toponymie du Québec . 2007 . 2009-08-24.
  24. Web site: Fiche toponymique . fr . Commission de toponymie du Québec . 2007 . 2009-08-30.
  25. Web site: A glorious day for transit in Laval . Montreal Gazette . 2007-04-27 . 2009-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121107034546/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/montreal/story.html?id=3b595da3-25d6-4f4d-b268-484e20c56e58 . 2012-11-07.
  26. http://wikimapia.org/3922203/%C3%8Ele-Perry Île Perry
  27. Book: Fortin , Jean-Claude . Jacques Saint-Pierre . Normand Perron . Histoire de Laval . fr . . 2008 . 210 . 978-2-7637-8859-3 .
  28. Web site: Fiche toponymique . fr . Commission de toponymie du Québec . 2007 . 2009-08-24.
  29. Book: Fortin , Jean-Claude . Jacques Saint-Pierre . Normand Perron . Histoire de Laval . fr . . 2008 . 249–250 . 978-2-7637-8859-3 .
  30. Book: Andreae, Christopher . Lines of Country: An Atlas of Railway and Waterway History in Canada. 1997 . The Boston Mills Press. 1-55046-133-8 . 107.
  31. Book: Bélisle , Michel . De l'Isle aux Tourtes à Vaudreuil-Dorion . fr . Collectif pour l'histoire de Vaudreuil-Dorion . 2007 . 263 . 978-2-9810200-0-0.
  32. http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/toposweb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=63190 Fiche descriptive
  33. Book: Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue 1703–2003 . Paroisse Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue . 2003 . 125 . 2-9808057-0-X.
  34. News: Jason Magder . Galipeault span to get $98-million facelift . Montreal Gazette . 2008-07-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100915061543/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=a7a36ae9-af4a-4989-ad80-b4c33cfc79f8&k=16653 . 2010-09-15.

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