Honoré Mercier Bridge
The Honoré Mercier Bridge (French Pont Honoré-Mercier) in Quebec, Canada, connects the Montreal borough of LaSalle on the Island of Montreal with the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake and the suburb of Châteauguay on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. It is the most direct southerly route from the island of Montreal toward the US border. It carries Route 138, originally Route 4. It is 1.361 km (0.846 mi) in length and contains four steel trusses on its first section. The height of the bridge varies from 12.44 m (40.8 ft) to 33.38 m (109.5 ft) with the highest sections located over the St. Lawrence Seaway. The bridge is named after former premier of Quebec Honoré Mercier.
Honoré Mercier Bridge | |
|---|---|
The twin spans of the Mercier Bridge as seen from Lasalle in 2008. | |
| Coordinates | 45°25′01″N 73°39′18″W |
| Carries | R-138 |
| Crosses | St. Lawrence River and Saint Lawrence Seaway |
| Locale | Kahnawake and Montreal, Quebec |
| Official name | Pont Honoré-Mercier |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Twin through arch bridges |
| Total length | 1.361 km (0.846 mi) |
| Height | Varies from 12.44 to 33.38 m (40.8 to 109.5 ft) |
| No. of lanes | 4 (2 per span) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1934 (twinned in 1963) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 67,000 |
| Toll | 0.25$ (abolished in 1963) |
| Location | |
Unique in Quebec, the bridge is managed by both the federal and provincial governments. The southwest portion of the bridge, over 1,031 metres (1128 yards) from the beginning of the arch bridge (at pier 14), is the responsibility of a Crown corporation: the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI). The rest of the bridge (902 metres, 986 yards) is owned by the Quebec Ministry of Transport, which is also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the complex, including the federal part.
The bridge has two lanes of traffic in each direction and a total span of nearly 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). At its highest point, the bridge rises 36 metres (118 ft) above the river. There is a narrow sidewalk on the side headed to Châteauguay that was for use by foot or bicycle, but it has not been open since major repairs began in 2009. The roadway has been characterized by numerous repairs.
It is estimated that an average of 75,000 vehicles use the bridge each day. An estimated 30 million vehicles use the bridge every year.