February 2022: Minister of Transport François Bonnardel urgently closes the Pont des Piles bridge, which has become too unpredictable, at the junction of Highway 55 and Route 155 in Shawinigan. This is followed by the installation of structures to secure it, while a new bridge is built, right next to it.
Around 11,600 vehicles travel on this structure every day, 14% of which are heavy vehicles.
Work on the new construction, worth 89.6 million, begins in July 2023. A year and a half later, the new bridge is taking shape. The arch that will support it was completed in mid-October.
“The next step: dismantle the temporary structure that allowed its construction and, then, it will be the start of the construction of the deck,” explains ministry spokesperson Roxanne Pellerin.
The temporary structures that will soon be removed from the new construction side are the pylons and guy wires. Those securing the old structure will obviously remain in place.
“To go faster and have the materials faster, we did not ask for all the layers of protection, because we know that it does not have to be sustainable over time. It doesn’t have to last 10, 15, 20 years, so for us, there was a gain in speed to have these materials. Having something that was not rusty was not necessary for the purposes of this project.”
The apron
Construction of the deck should begin in the coming weeks, or even in 2025. The pace will slow down on the site during the winter months, but the work will continue.
“But it was part of the calendar and the deadline too, it’s planned like that.”
Blasting work is also continuing on the south side before being undertaken on the north side, to redirect the roadway towards the new structure.
Work on the Piles Bridge in Shawinigan in fall 2024 (Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility)
The new seaway markings, depending on the work, have been removed for the winter.
Once the new bridge is operational, work to dismantle the old structure can begin.
