thumb|right|350px|Bridges are required to connect Montreal to the mainland (gray).|alt=Montreal is on a boomerang-shaped island surrounded by three major rivers. To the northwest, lies another eye-shaped island, which is the site of Laval. The northern ring contains those mainland areas past Laval. To the east, south, and southwest on the mainland, is the southern ring.
Like most major cities, Montreal needs easy highway access from its suburbs and surrounding areas. However, because Montreal was built on an island surrounded by three rivers, it can be entered by land only on a bridge or through a tunnel. Although the city was founded in 1642, it was not until 1847 that the first fixed link to the outside was established when a wooden bridge was built across Rivière des Prairies to Île Jésus, on the site of what is now Ahuntsic Bridge. Another bridge was built immediately afterward, a few kilometers west, which became Lachapelle Bridge, and another in 1849, Pont des Saints-Anges, to the east. The latter bridge collapsed in the 1880s and was never rebuilt. In 1860, Montreal got its first link to the South Shore with the construction of Victoria Bridge, which was, at the time of its opening, the longest bridge in the world. Indirect links to the North Shore also had to wait for railroad construction, but this took longer; the Canadian Pacific Railway opened its link to Saint-Jérôme in 1876, through Île Jésus. Not to be outdone by its rival, however, the Canadian Pacific Railway built its own span, the Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge, upstream from the Lachine Rapids in 1886
for which the Mohawks of Kahnawake were hired to erect the steel superstructure. Although Victoria Bridge was also used as a road crossing since 1898, it was not before the 1930s that two fully dedicated road bridges, Jacques-Cartier and Mercier, were built. More spans, including Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge–Tunnel and Champlain Bridge, were built in the 1960s. No new span was built for over 50 years, until a replacement Champlain Bridge was constructed at the cost of several billion dollars. It opened in 2019, while the previous span was closed to traffic to be demolished.
The construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in the 1950s required extensive modifications for all spans that existed at the time. Those are not reflected in the table below.
{| class=wikitable
!width="15%"|Span
!width="15%"|Picture
!width="7%"|First span built
!width="7%"|Current span built
!width="15%"|Communities linked
!width="17%"|Carries
!width="14%"|Name origin
!width="10%"|Coordinates
|-
|rowspan="2"|Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge
|rowspan="2"|150px|alt=A bridge with two truss sections in the middle.
|rowspan="2"|1886
|rowspan="2"|1910
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Verdun
|rowspan="2"|Route Verte 1 and 2
|rowspan="5"|Samuel de Champlain (c. 1580–1635), founder of Quebec City
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) St. Lawrence Seaway levee
|-
|rowspan="3"|Samuel De Champlain Bridge
|rowspan="3"|150px|alt=A view of the new bridge's main span.
|rowspan="3"|1962
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Ville-Marie
|rowspan="2"|Pierre-Dupuy Avenue and Route Verte 1 and 2
|rowspan="2"|Reference to Montreal's motto, Concordia salus
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Ville-Marie (Berri–UQAM station)
|rowspan="3"| Line 4 Yellow
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|style="background:#ccffee;"|(I) Île Sainte-Hélène (Jean-Drapeau station) and Île Notre-Dame
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Longueuil, borough of Vieux-Longueuil (Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke station)
|-
|rowspan="3"|Jacques Cartier Bridge
|rowspan="3"|150px|Jacques Cariter Bridge is a cantilevered bridge.
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"|1930 but these ferries were discontinued when the bridges opened. The first railroad across the river was opened in 1876, and the Bordeaux Railway Bridge is the oldest fixed link to Laval that is still standing. (Another bridge across Rivière des Mille Îles, which was part of the same line, collapsed in 1882 but was immediately rebuilt.
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
|rowspan="3"|25px|link=<br /> Route 138 and Route Verte 5
|rowspan="3"|Pierre Le Gardeur de Repentigny (1605–1648), French lord
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|style="background:#ccffee;"|(I) Île Bourdon
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Repentigny
|-
|rowspan="3"|Laurier Railway Bridge
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
|rowspan="2"|25px|link=<br /> Autoroute 40
|rowspan="2"|Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970), President of France
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Charlemagne
|-
|rowspan="2"|Olivier-Charbonneau Bridge
|rowspan="2"|150px|alt=Olivier-Charbonneau Bridge.
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|2011
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
|rowspan="2"|25px|link= Autoroute 25
|rowspan="2"|Olivier Charbonneau (c.1613-1687), first European settler of Île Jésus.
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Laval (Saint-François)
|-
|rowspan="2"|Pie IX Bridge
|rowspan="2"|150px|alt=A box girder bridge high above the river.
|rowspan="2"|1937
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville
|rowspan="3"|Hydro-Québec <br /><!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: 75px -->
|rowspan="3"|Rivière des Prairies
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|style="background:#ccffee;"|(I) Île de la Visitation and Île du Cheval de Terre
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Laval (Duvernay)
|-
|rowspan="3"|Papineau-Leblanc Bridge
|rowspan="3"|150px|alt=Papineau-Leblanc Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge.
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"|1969
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville
|rowspan="3"|25px|link=<br /> Autoroute 19
|rowspan="3"|Louis-Joseph Papineau (1786–1871), leader of the Patriote movement<br />Alpha Leblanc (1908–1962), local landowner The origin of the name Viau is uncertain.
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Laval (Pont-Viau)
|-
|rowspan="2"|Montreal Metro Tunnel
|rowspan="2"|150px|alt=The interior of the Henri-Bourassa Station.
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|2007
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville (Henri-Bourassa station)
|rowspan="2"| Line 2 Orange
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Laval (Cartier station)
|-
|rowspan="3"|Bordeaux Railway Bridge
|rowspan="3"|150px|alt=A typical railway truss bridge.
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"|1876
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Laval (Laval-des-Rapides)
|-
|rowspan="2"|Médéric Martin Bridge
|rowspan="2"|150px|alt=A wide box girder structure on massive concrete pillars.
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|1958 (widened 1991)
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville
|rowspan="2"|25px|link= 25px|link=<br /> Autoroute 15/Trans-Canada Highway
|rowspan="2"|Médéric Martin (1869–1946), Mayor of Montreal
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Laval (Laval-des-Rapides)
|-
|rowspan="2"|Lachapelle Bridge (Cartierville Bridge)
|rowspan="2"|150px|alt=Two non-identical steel frame bridges side by side.
|rowspan="2"|1848
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Laval (Chomedey)
|-
|rowspan="2"|Louis Bisson Bridge
|rowspan="2"|150px|alt=A box girder freeway bridge on thin pillars.
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|1975
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro
|rowspan="2"|25px|link=<br /> Autoroute 13
|rowspan="2"|Louis Bisson (1909–1997), Canadian aviator
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Laval (Chomedey / Sainte-Dorothée)
|-
|rowspan="3"|Île Bigras railway crossing
|rowspan="3"|150px|alt=A typical steel truss railway bridge.
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"|1916
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro
|rowspan="3"|CN<br />
Formerly used by the Deux-Montagnes commuter train (currently being replaced by the Réseau express métropolitain)
|rowspan="3"|(no official name)
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|style="background:#ccffee;"|(I) (Île Bigras)<br />Île-Bigras commuter train station
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Laval (Sainte-Dorothée)
|-
|rowspan="2"|Guy Lafleur Bridge
|rowspan="2"|150px|alt=Jacques-Bizard Bridge seen between trees.
|rowspan="2"|1966
|rowspan="2"|2024
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Sainte-Geneviève, Montreal, borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève
|rowspan="2"|Boulevard Jacques Bizard
|rowspan="2"|Guy Lafleur (1951–2022), ice hockey player and local resident
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Île Bizard (Montreal, borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève)
|-
|}
Spanning the Lake of Two Mountains and the Ottawa River East Channel
The first railway bridge to Montreal Island was the Grand Trunk Railway bridge across the Ottawa River East Channel. Along with another bridge built simultaneously across the West Channel, this bridge provided the first fixed link from Montreal to the mainland. Île Perrot was the only way out of Montreal to the West before the construction of Île aux Tourtes Bridge, which goes directly to Vaudreuil across the Lake of Two Mountains.
|rowspan="3"|<br />(Across Lake of Two Mountains)
|-
|style="background:#ccffee;"|(I) Île Girwood, Île aux Tourtes
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Vaudreuil-Dorion
|-
|rowspan="3"|Canadian Pacific Rail Bridge
|rowspan="3"|150px|alt=A steel truss bridge with a locomotive on it.
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"|1893
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="6"|(no official names)
|rowspan="3"|<br />(Across Canal Sainte-Anne)
|-
|style="background:#ccffee;"|(I) Île Bellevue
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Île Perrot
|-
|rowspan="3"|Canadian National Rail Bridge
|rowspan="3"|150px|alt=An old railway bridge on stone pillars.
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"|1854
|style="background:#ccccee;"|(M) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
|rowspan="3"|25px|link=<br /> Autoroute 20 and Route Verte 5
|rowspan="3"|Antonin Galipeault (1879–1971), Quebec politician
|rowspan="3"|<br />(Across Canal Sainte-Anne)
|-
|style="background:#ccffee;"|(I) Île Bellevue
|-
|style="background:#ccddee;"|(O) Île Perrot
|-
|}
See also
- Crossings of the Canal de l'Aqueduc
- Crossings of the Lachine Canal
- List of crossings of the Ottawa River
- List of crossings of the Rivière des Mille Îles
- Rivière des Prairies
- List of crossings of the Rivière des Prairies
- List of crossings of the Saint Lawrence River
- List of hydroelectric stations in Quebec
- List of bridges in Canada
Notes
:The section of Honoré-Mercier bridge spanning over the St. Lawrence Seaway was rebuilt to seaway standards in the 1950s. The bridge was twinned by an identical one, on the downriver side, which opened in 1963.