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Photo by Alexander Rotker on Unsplash

Top 5 bridges to see in Montreal

Montreal is the most populated city in Quebec province and second most populated city Canada. It got its name after Mount Royal, a three-peaked mountain in the city. Montreal was founded in 1642 on the Island with the same name.

Montreal is a French infused city. it is home to several fun activities such as festivals, arts, and music. Life in this city is about living it and enjoying every moment.

The pastries, Kamouraska lamb, Arctic char and poutine, are just some of the delicacies one will find in any of the restaurants in the city. Vegetarian options are also in plenty so are pints and wines too.

One other spectacular feature that is unmissable while in Montreal is the bridges! Here are the top 5 that are a must-see while in the city.

1. the Champlain Bridge

Champlain Bridge in Montreal By Tobie Charette Eltobito – Wikimedia

first on the list is the Samuel De Champlain Bridge. It is a cable-stayed bridge that was built to replace the original Champlain Bridge over the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec that served Canadians for more than 75 years.

It is between the Island of Montreal and the South Shore suburbs. This new bridge is situated north of the original Bridge that has been demolished. The old bridge was demolished after it got degraded by repeated application of de-icing salt.

The new bridge has eight lanes of traffic for the A-10, A-15, and A-20. One lane in each direction on the freeway is dedicated for buses only. The bridge also has a multi-use track for cyclists and pedestrians.

The central section of the bridge surface is used by the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) automated light rail system.

The bridge is 60 metres wide and is considered t be the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world using two planes of cables.

The construction of this bridge is one of the largest infrastructure projects to ever be initiated in North America. The Champlain Bridge was constructed to last 125 years.

2. Pont Jacques-Cartier

Pont Jacques Montreal By Mourial – Wikimedia

When in Montreal Pont Jacques-Cartier bridge is one to look out for. This bridge is the most recognizable in the city. It springs to life with beautiful colours at night and each new day is ushered in with a new colour at midnight.

This bridge changes its colour according to the season and there is a colour calendar for each day of the year. While in the city you might notice the colours changing from spring green to summer yellow or a beautiful red to a mellow winter blue.

There are hourly colour shows on the bridge featuring animated visuals that reflect the mood of the city. The animations are tailored according to traffic in the city, the weather and from data gathered from social media users that mentioned Montreal in their posts.

The Jacques Cartier bridge was built in 1931 as a harbour bridge linking Longueuil and Montreal. It was later renamed in 1934 to its current name in honour of a French explorer who was the first European to identify and locate St. Lawrence River.

This bridge embodies the history and architecture of the city and it tops it up with its beautiful luminous lighting at night.

3. Victoria Bridge

Pont Victoria Montr̩al,By abdallahh РWikimedia

This bridge was built between 1854 and 1859 across St. Lawrence river to ease crossing to the other side especially during the winter season. The freezing and thawing of the river during the fall and spring seasons made it impossible to navigate.

Most people would cross the river using boats in the summer. During winter, they’d use a sleigh, walk or a cart on the frozen river along routes without snow for an easy passage.

This tubular bridge was designed by Robert Stephenson and Alexander McKenzie Ross, the site was picked by Thomas Keefer, a Canadian engineer.

Since its inauguration in 1859, this bridge has continued to serve the Canadians for both rail and road traffic. The rails are in the middle while the roads are on the sides.

The Canadian National Railway actively uses the rail to Halifax and Montreal. It was initially named the Great Victoria Bridge in honour of Queen Victoria.

It was later renamed as the Victoria Jubilee Bridge in 1897 after some renovations were done and then again in 1978 to its current name. The Victoria Bridge is 3 kilometres long and has 24 ice-breaking piers.

To sum it up, it is quite significant to the Canadian economy because it links this country to the wider U.S market.

4. Viau Bridge

Pont Viau By Jimderkaisser – Wikimedia

The Viau Bridge also referred to as Pont Viau or the Ahuntsic Bridge, was built in 1930, renovated in 1962 and further renovated to widen the surface in 1993.

This river extends above the Rivière des Prairies between Montreal district of Ahuntsic- Cartierville and the Laval district.

This bridge serves more than 36,000 drivers daily. There is a designated lane for buses plying the route between the districts and Henri-Bourassa and the Cartier Stations.

The bridge got closed for a day in 2007 after a huge crack was noticed on the bus lane. After an inspection, the bridge was given a clean bill of health and was reopened. Before this concrete and steel bridge was built, a wooden bridge stood at the same spot in 1874.

5. Pont Le Gardeur

Le Gardeur Bridge By Blanchardb – Wikimedia

Final on our list is Le Gardeur Bridge. It is a beam bridge connecting the east end of the island of Montreal to Repentigny, Quebec.

Le Gardeur bridge has two different sections across the Riviere des Prairies and is separated by Ile Bourdon. The length of the entire bridge is 862-metre-long; 297 metres to the west and 565 metres to the east.

It was built in 1939, it was then renovated in 2001 and a reserved lane was added to serve the Metrobus from the eastern side.

A section of the bridge was demolished to allow the extension of the bridge surface and the 24 pillars supporting the bridge were rehabilitated too.

This bridge is part of the route that links Canada to the United States through the southwest border in Huntingdon, cote-Nord region and Quebec City. Approximatively 20,000 drivers use the bridge each day.

It is therefore used as an alternate road to the more congested bridges like Charles de Gaulle Bridge during rush hours especially during the rush hour.

There are two lanes on each direction and sidewalks for pedestrians and a lane for cyclists.