The Beauharnois Bridge, Montreal, Canada

Abstract

The bridge over the Beauharnois Canal (BHC) is the main structure of the Nouvelle Autoroute 30 project, with a total length of 2551 m. It crosses the BHC and the Saint Laurent Seaway (SLS).This paper describes the development of the design and construction process of the Beauharnois Bridge carried out by a leading construction company in Montreal. It describes the construction procedures carried out to achieve the works in a schedule severely limited by the technical clauses of the contract and winter conditions.This paper emphasizes the different prefabrication systems employed in the construction of the bridge and the incremental launching technique used to erect the steel box-girders of the east part over the BHC and the SLS.The bridge superstructure is divided into two parts: the east part, formed by a closed composite structure with a steel box-girder spanning over 82 m, and the west part, designed with a concrete deck composed of five concrete prefabricated beams spanning a typical length of 45 m.The east part, with a length of 1456 m, was designed with no expansion joints. This side of the deck includes the main span of 150 m and was entirely assembled at the east abutment and erected in place using the incremental launching technique.