Canada’s infrastructure minister Denis Lebel made the announcement following completion of the business case for the new bridge over the St Lawrence in Montreal.
The business case study included financial and technical analysis of the project and examined different procurement models.
The procurement process will begin with a request for qualifications in spring 2014, which will allow the new bridge for the St. Lawrence to be in service by 2018.
The final design for the new bridge will only be determined once the procurement process is finished, but it has been established that it will have six lanes for traffic, a dedicated corridor for light rail, as well as a multi-use path.
The Champlain Bridge is one of the busiest in Canada but the high volume of heavy vehicles and corrosion caused by road salt have contributed to the deterioration of the structure and led to the need for extensive maintenance. The existing 3.5km bridge was built about 50 years ago primarily of reinforced concrete beams supported by concrete piers.
