The Jacques Cartier Bridge () is a

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as Beam (structure), beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so ...

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

crossing the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

from

Montreal Island The Island of Montreal (, ) is an island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, which is the site of a number of municipalities, including most of the city of Montreal, and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main island of the Hochelag ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, to the south shore at

Longueuil, Quebec Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly ...

, Canada. The bridge crosses

Saint Helen's Island Saint Helen's Island () is an island in the St. Lawrence River, in the territory of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago. It is situated immediately offshore from Old Montreal on the southeastern sid ...

in the centre of the river, where offramps allow access to the

Parc Jean-Drapeau Jean Drapeau Park (formerly called ''Parc des Îles'') is the third-largest park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises two islands, Saint Helen's Island and the artificial island Notre Dame Island, situated off the shore of Old Montreal in ...

and La Ronde amusement park. Originally named the Montreal Harbour Bridge (''pont du Havre''), it was renamed in 1934 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...

's first voyage up the St. Lawrence River. The five-lane highway bridge is in length, including the approach viaducts. There are approximately 35.8 million vehicle crossings annually, making it the third busiest bridge in Canada, the first being Samuel-de-Champlain Bridge, just a few kilometres (miles) upstream. The second busiest bridge in Canada overall is the

Port Mann Bridge The Port Mann Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Fraser River in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. It carries 10 lanes of British Columbia Highway 1, Highway 1 (itself part of the Trans-Canada Highway) and ...

Metro Vancouver The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and Corporation, corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as o ...

(connecting

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

Coquitlam Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the List of cities in British Columbia, sixth-largest city in the province, with an estimated population of 174,248 in 2024, and one of th ...

). Together with the Champlain Bridge, it is administered by the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), a Canadian Crown Corporation which reports to

Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) () (formerly Infrastructure Canada or INFC)''Infrastructure Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Office of Infrastructure of Canada (). is a dep ...

History

Planning

Discussions began as early as 1874 about the construction of a new bridge to alleviate the congestion on Victoria Bridge, which was then a rail-only bridge, the wintertime ice bridge and the ferries used to connect the city to its south shore. The decision to build the bridge was made official in 1924. The bridge was designed by engineer Philip Louis Pratley.

Construction

Construction was undertaken by the

Dominion Bridge Company The Dominion Bridge Company, Limited was a Canadian steel bridge constructor originally based in Lachine, Quebec. From the core business of steel bridge component fabrication, the company diversified into related areas such as the fabrication of ...

starting in 1925. On August 9, 1926, the cornerstone was laid, integrated into the pillar at the corner of

Notre Dame Street Notre-Dame Street (officially in ) is a historic east–west street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs parallel to the Saint Lawrence River, from Lachine to the eastern tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, then continuing of ...

and

Saint Antoine Street Saint Antoine Street (officially in ), formerly known as Craig Street, is a street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs to the south of Downtown Montreal and north of Old Montreal and Griffintown and Saint-Henri. It crosses the Quartier ...

, opposite the

Pied-du-Courant Prison The Pied-du-Courant Prison () is a prison museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada near the Saint Lawrence River and the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Overview The original plan for a prison in Montreal was designed by Quebec architect George Blaikloc ...

. The cornerstone contains a capsule with 59 items reflecting the year in which construction began. The bridge was constructed of

at a cost of C$23 million, and the work lasted two and a half years. The

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, turf-cutting, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such cer ...

was held on May 26, 1925. Construction began immediately and the cornerstone was laid on August 9, 1926, on Pillar No. 26. The superstructure was built between September 1926 and September 1929. 33,267 tons of steel were needed for its construction. The work was completed about a year and a half ahead of schedule, without disrupting river traffic. It opened to traffic on May 14, 1930, however the inauguration ceremony took place a few days later, on May 24. The bridge was inaugurated as the "Harbour Bridge" but was renamed "Jacques Cartier Bridge" in 1934, following a petition from citizens to honour the French-Breton explorer who described and mapped the St. Lawrence River valley in 1534.

Modifications

The bridge was originally designed as a

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

way, and pedestrian bridge. The original bridge had three lanes of road traffic and two sidewalks. Space in each direction was left free for the possible installation of two tramway lines.

Tramway track Tramway track is used on tramways or light rail operations. As with standard rail tracks, tram tracks have two parallel steel rails, the distance between the heads of the rails being the track gauge. When there is no need for pedestrians or ...

s were installed but never used. A parallel empty space used to exist to the right of the roadway in each direction, through which the bridge's girders could be seen. The roadway was expanded by an additional traffic lane on the east side in 1956 and the west side in 1959 to include the space allocated to the tramway tracks, adding an extra lane of traffic in each direction and bringing the total capacity of the bridge to five lanes. The two sidewalks were outside the bridge proper. To accommodate large ships using the new

St. Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...

, the span over the east channel of the river (the

Warren truss In structural engineering, a Warren truss or equilateral truss is a type of truss employing a weight-saving design based upon Triangle, equilateral triangles. It is named after the British engineer James Warren (engineer), James Warren, who pat ...

) was raised an additional (to ) in 1957 and 1958. Traffic flow over the bridge was uninterrupted by this construction, through the installation of two

Bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...

s. Originally, the bridge was constructed with only one ramp to

, located on the western side of the bridge. In 1961, a second ramp was built on the east side to prevent cars traveling toward Montreal from having to cross the path of those heading toward Longueuil in order to access St. Helen's Island, a major source of accidents. During 2001 and 2002 the entire deck of the bridge was replaced. The sidewalks were also widened to a width of , and the sidewalk on the western side of the bridge was made a bike path. In 2004, the bridge authority installed a suicide prevention barrier. Until then the bridge saw an average of 10 suicides a year. There are four high

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

s, at the four high-points of the bridge, as architectural ornaments. Their shape resembles the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

without being a replica. Jacques-Cartier Canada

Inspiration

A bust of Jacques Cartier is located at the exit leading to Île Sainte-Hélène and was donated by France. The bridge follows the general design concept of the

Quebec Bridge The Quebec Bridge () is a road, rail, and pedestrian bridge across the lower Saint Lawrence River between Sainte-Foy, Quebec City, Sainte-Foy (a former suburb that in 2002 became the arrondissement Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge in Quebec Cit ...

. It was, in turn, one of the design influences for the

Story Bridge The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River built to carry vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the long ...

, in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, which was completed in 1940. Its imposing steel structure of its main section most likely inspired the designers of J. C. Van Horne Bridge spanning the

Restigouche River The Restigouche River (, ) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec. The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the Appalachian Mountains of nort ...

between Campbellton,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

and Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec. This bridge was not built until 1958.

Toll

The structure was a toll bridge from its opening until 1962 and a toll plaza was located on the southern approach. The toll plaza area now houses the offices of the corporation that owns and operates the structure and the nearby Champlain Bridge. Tokens were issued for part of the period that tolls were collected. Toll booths were abolished in 1962. The original toll rates were as follows: * Pedestrian: 15¢ * Cyclist: 15¢ * Motorcyclist: 25¢ * Automobile (for the vehicle and its driver): 25¢ * Additional passenger: 15¢ * Bus: 80¢ to $1.00 (depending on class of bus) * Truck: 25¢ to $1.50 (depending on the class of the truck) * Oil tank: 60¢ * Animals: 3¢ to 15¢ per animal (depending on the species) * Wheelbarrow: 15¢ * Free for children under 5 years old.

"The crooked bridge"

From the beginning of its use, the Jacques Cartier Bridge was nicknamed "the crooked bridge" because of a curve at the entrance to Montreal. It was designed to avoid the land of soap factory-owner Hector Barsalou, who refused the amount the city offered him for his land. Another curve in the middle of the bridge at the height of Île Sainte-Hélène is due to the positioning of the pillars. The pillars were built according to the direction of the stream of the river in a different axis of the streets to the North approach on the island of Montreal. The existence of these curves has been a predominant factor in many accidents that have led to changes in signage on the bridge over the years.

Traffic

The bridge ha
five traffic lanes
two of which are directional and one reversible for rush hour traffic and two sidewalks on each side for pedestrians and cyclists. It is also known for its famous Craig curve, a curve on the side of Montreal that once created many accidents because of its small radius and zero tilt. This deficiency was corrected in the early 2000s by raising the west side of the deck creating a slight tilt making it easier to take the curve. The bridge is the continuation of Highway 134 and is connected to the multiplex formed by Highway 20 and the René-Lévesque Highway via an interchange. It continues on the South Shore in a short motorway section of Highway 134, which ends at an interchange with roads 112 and 116, before becoming boulevard Taschereau. On the Island of Montreal, the bridge connects to De Lorimier Avenue East and Papineau Avenue West. It is estimated that up to 115,000 vehicles use it per day, for an annual average of 34.7 million vehicles.

Maintenance

Over the last twenty years, majo
ongoing renovation programs
have been completed, including painting and deck replacement to preserve the integrity of the structure and to ensure a safe passage for users. In 2016, a rebuilding cycle was completed for almost all pillars. JCCBI, the structure's responsible manager, is carrying out a structural steel reinforcement program dating back to 1920, in order to extend the life span of the bridge. Specifically, some steel ribs and reinforcing plates have been replaced and reinforced.

Disruptions

This bridge has been shut down several times due to several protesters who have individually climbed on the superstructure of the bridge or on a sign in the Longueuil side of the bridge. Two of them were from the Fathers for Justice group, while a third claimed he was part of the group. Recently, a man wearing a Canadian flag climbed the structure of the bridge. Most of the protests led to massive traffic congestion during rush hour. Recently, the pedestrian paths were modified with the installation of round metal fences all around in both directions, to prevent climbing of the superstructure and discourage potential suicide jumpers, the two main problems associated with pedestrian traffic on the bridge.

''Living Connections'' lighting

To mark both the

150th anniversary of Canada The 150th anniversary of Canada, also known as the 150th anniversary of Confederation and promoted by the Government of Canada, Canadian government as Canada 150, occurred in 2017 as Canada marked the sesquicentennial of Canadian Confederati ...

and the 375th anniversary of Montreal, the bridge was refitted in 2017 with new decorative lights. The project, "Living Connections" was designed and installed over a period of 3 years by Montreal-based Moment Factory in collaboration with other local partners
Réalisations Inc. Montreal
Ambiances Design Productions, ATOMIC3, Éclairage Public/ Ombrages, Lucion Média and UDO Design). Project management was provided by JCCBI. The system, which allows for varying colors and animation, is scheduled to remain active until 2027. The interior lighting network changes with the passing of seasons, while the exterior lighting network uses big data, translated in real time to feed LED lighting networks on the outsides of the bridge superstructure, making the structure the first "connected" bridge in the world
Réalisations Inc. Montreal
is responsible for the idea of using big data as a modulator of the bridge lighting program, as well as the design and production of the custom software and training of on-site operators to bring this concept to life. Fifty-three types of data pertaining to Montreal, across eleven categories, are tracked to feed the bridge's lighting systems, included but not limited to; weather, traffic, noise and activity on social media. The bridge is then invaded by luminous movements in the colours of the most discussed topics of the day by the Montreal media: society (red), environment (green), technology (light blue), business (gray), sports (blue), institutions (pink), culture (purple). The systems track this data using physical capture systems such as sensors and cameras as well as through hashtags and keywords on online platforms. More information on how data is interpreted and expressed in light, and the systems used to do so, can be found on th
Réalisations
website. The bridge is part of the cycle of the seasons thanks to
chromatic calendar of 365 colours
Day after day, it is transformed, progressively from the spring energizing green, to the radiant summer orange, to the voluptuous autumn red and the icy blue of winter. The bridge also gives the pulse of Montreal life in real time. The intensity, speed and density of light movements are fueled by the mention of Montreal on Twitter. The first lighting up of the bridge occurred on May 17, 2017, the same day associated with the founding of

in 1642 and officially kicking off the festivities for the 375th anniversary.

Lighting of the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Numbers

* 15,650 tonnes: weight of bridge superstructure * 10,000 fastening systems: to secure the luminaires on the steel supports fixed to the bridge * 10.4 km: cabling needed for bridge lighting for data transfer and power supply * 2,807 luminaires: a combination of projectors and strips bathes the steel superstructure in colourful ambience light that changes in accordance to the effervescence of the metropolis. * More than 200 participants: from all professional backgrounds contributed to the project (creatives, engineers, designers, project managers, programmers, rope access technicians, electricians, steel erectors, traffic officers, etc.).

Gallery

File:Bridge. Harbour Bridge BAnQ P48S1P01153.jpg, Jacques-Cartier Bridge, 1937 File:Jacques-Cartier Bridge from the Concorde Bridge.jpg, Jacques-Cartier Bridge from the Concorde Bridge Image:JacquesCartierBridge View.JPG, View from the bridge, before the suicide prevention barriers were installed Image:Jacques Cartier bridge in Montreal.jpg, Driving on the Jacques-Cartier bridge Image:Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal, Québec .jpg, Jacques Cartier Bridge at dusk Image:Pontjacquescartierbridge.JPG, Signs inside the bridge File:Jacques Cartier Bridge 2.JPG, Jacques Cartier Bridge File:Jacques-Cartier Bridge, Montreal, car view.jpg, West side view of the Jaques Cartier Bridge

References

External links

Official page
*
Steve Anderson's MontrealRoads.com: Jacques Cartier Bridge (QC 134)Réalisations' website

Live Traffic – Jacques Cartier Bridge
{{Authority control Cantilever bridges in Canada

Cartier Cartier may refer to: People * Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player Places * Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australi ...

Bridges completed in 1930 Transport in Longueuil Bridges over the Saint Lawrence River Buildings and structures in Longueuil Centre-Sud Road bridges in Quebec Roads with a reversible lane Former toll bridges in Canada