The Jacques Cartier Bridge () is a steel truss cantilever bridge crossing the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal Island, Montreal, Quebec, to the south shore at Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. The bridge crosses Saint Helen's Island in the centre of the river, where offramps allow access to the Parc Jean-Drapeau 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's first voyage up the St. Lawrence River.

The five-lane highway bridge is in length, including the approach viaducts.

The bridge is the third busiest bridge in Canada with approximately 35.8 million vehicle crossings annually, 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 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

thumb|left|Bridge in 1948The bridge was originally designed as a road, tramway, 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 tracks 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

There are four high finials, at the four high-points of the bridge, as architectural ornaments. 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. It was, in turn, one of the design influences for the Story Bridge, in Brisbane, Australia, 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 between Campbellton, New Brunswick 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 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 the Réalisations website.

The bridge is part of the cycle of the seasons thanks to a 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 Montreal 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.).

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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:Jacques Cartier bridge view - 2004.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

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See also

  • List of bridges in Canada
  • Suicide bridge
  • Story Bridge

References

  • Official page
  • Steve Anderson's MontrealRoads.com: Jacques Cartier Bridge (QC 134)
  • Réalisations' website
  • Live Traffic – Jacques Cartier Bridge