Construction team to miss deadline to hand over final elements of new Champlain Bridge project

The Samuel De Champlain Bridge opened to traffic in July. Other elements of the corridor project remain unfinished. PHOTO: Infrastructure Canada

The main component of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor project — the new bridge itself — opened to vehicle traffic at the beginning of July, while several pieces of the wider project were scheduled to reach completion by Oct. 31.

Residents awaiting a reprieve from the years of construction will need to wait a little longer.

The construction team in charge of the project said Oct. 28 it won’t wrap up the work on the final elements of the multibillion-dollar bridge before its latest deadline.

Despite progress on all the remaining components of the project, including connections to Highway 15 and Highway 10 and the bridge’s central multi-use path, Signature on the St. Lawrence (SSL) won’t finish the work until the end of fall. Even then, certain touch-ups and landscaping will remain on the docket for next spring and summer.

The latest delay adds to a string of postponements to the major bridge project, which began carrying vehicles over the St. Lawrence River about six months behind schedule.

Infrastructure Canada said the all-season multi-use path, which cyclists and pedestrians can use to cross the river, is still scheduled to open later this year.