Closure of the sidewalk bike path on the Jacques Cartier bridge

Photo courtesy PJCCI

QMI agency

Sunday, December 10, 2017 17:00

UPDATE
Sunday, December 10, 2017 17:02

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The sidewalk bike path on the Jacques Cartier bridge is closed for the winter, announced on Sunday the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated.

The federal agency has stated that it will conduct a pilot project of clearing of this track, in order to assess whether it would be open all year long. Since it is impossible to apply de-icing salts without affecting the structure of the bridge, the authorities will evaluate other approaches such as equipment heated this winter. These tests will take place between Longueuil and Sainte-Hélène island.

The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated has mentioned that several challenges must be addressed to have a safe sidewalk on the Jacques-Cartier bridge.

The organization says that the isolation of the track, the condensation of the river, which creates black ice, the risk of ice fall from the top of the steel structure and the splashes caused by motorists, as well as the inability to throw the snow to be stained in the river for environmental reasons are all constraints that must be considered.

He also pointed out that the closure of the sidewalk in the winter allows you to replace several guardrails or security fencing that need to be changed.

About 475 000 passages have been recorded on the Jacques-Cartier bridge during the last year.