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Deconstruction of the original Champlain Bridge: pushing back the limits of engineering to carry out large-scale work, while protecting the environment
It is with great pride that the FNX-INNOV / CIMA + consortium can affirm that it has met the challenge of managing the deconstruction work on the original Champlain Bridge, to be completed in the winter of 2024. This major contract, awarded by The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (“JCCBI”), was successfully carried out thanks to our technical, environmental and safety expertise, demonstrating our leadership to the stakeholders involved.
After being inaugurated in June 1962 and decommissioned on June 28, 2019, the original Champlain Bridge has required several interventions over its 57 years of existence. The structure had reached the end of its useful life and needed to be deconstructed. Our FNX-INNOV / CIMA+ consortium was able to offer professional services tailored to the many challenges of this mandate, focusing on the technical, safety and environmental aspects that were central to this ambitious project.
Special features of the project
As a major structure located above the St. Lawrence River and the St. Lawrence Seaway, its deconstruction presented considerable challenges, both from a technical point of view and in terms of the potential impact of the work. The structure comprised various sections, each with multiple components in varying states of deterioration.
The deconstruction of the Champlain Bridge was thus a complex project, presenting risks of all kinds and a high degree of difficulty. Throughout the project, we were careful to minimize these risks by choosing appropriate methods. Throughout the various phases of the project, we paid particular attention to risk management, particularly with regard to the safety of workers and the public, continuity of operations on the St. Lawrence Seaway, traffic in the vicinity of the worksite (in coordination with the MTQ and the municipal network), and the integrity of the infrastructure and operations of the new Samuel De Champlain Bridge.
In addition, the management of environmental issues was a central aspect of the project, and JCCBI placed a high priority on this issue, under the watchful eye of the various stakeholders. The company adopted a 5R’s approach (reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and residual management) to meet high environmental standards and measures. As the managing consortium, we have ensured that a rigorous system for achieving these various measures is in place, whether in terms of processing construction materials or preserving environmental ecosystems (air quality, water quality, noise climate, wildlife preservation, etc.).
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Putting our multidisciplinary expertise to work
Throughout the project, our multidisciplinary teams worked together to ensure that the client’s objectives were met. In addition to the infrastructure teams, our structural, environmental, traffic maintenance, surveying, ITS, geotechnical and landscaping specialists were directly involved in the project.
Services provided included:
- Audits of all activities
- Research and development (INRS, universities, research centers)
- Environmental / GHG offsetting
- Management of budgets, changes and payments
- Schedule follow-up
Congratulations to our teams on the success of this important mandate, which testifies to our commitment to providing high-quality, personalized support to our customers, thanks to innovative technical solutions and responsible, environmentally-friendly practices.