Jacques Cartier Bridge Piers 23 & 26

CONSORTIUM PARSONS / TETRA TECH
JACQUES CARTIER AND CHAMPLAIN BRIDGES INCORPORATED (JCCBI)
2024-2026

To support the long-term preservation of one of Montreal’s most important transportation assets, SIMCO provided advanced durability engineering services to evaluate the condition of the reinforced concrete portions of Piers 23 and 26, assess ongoing deterioration processes, forecast their future evolution, and optimize rehabilitation strategies capable of meeting JCCBI’s 75-year performance objective.

Constructed between 1925 and 1930, the Jacques Cartier Bridge is one of Montreal’s most iconic landmarks and a critical transportation link spanning the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Longueuil.

UNDERSTANDING DEGRADATION TO PRESERVE AN ICONIC BRIDGE

As part of the preliminary design analysis, SIMCO conducted a review of past historical investigations, construction records and repair records to trace the history of the structure and its degradation over the years. To complement and update the records, SIMCO has completed a visual inspection of the piers and completed georadar surveys to determine the reinforcement depth and cover in different key areas of the piers.  Core samples were extracted and analyzed through laboratory testing by SIMCO to characterize the origin and repair concrete properties and assess the degradation mechanisms present, their extent and future potential of propagation.

Past inspection records, laboratory testing and investigation completed by SIMCO confirmed that the piers were subject to different degradation mechanisms that included Alkali-silica reaction (ASR). Because ASR is a reaction that can progress for decades, its current state and future progression was carefully analyzed and considered to ensure the long-term effectiveness and durability of repair solutions. Further analysis were conducted to optimize the repair solutions in the detailed preliminary design of the repairs.

TRANSFORMING DURABILITY INSIGHTS INTO LONG-LASTING REPAIRS

During the detailed preliminary design phase, SIMCO further refine its analysis of the mechanisms affecting the bridge’s long-term durability, including the anticipated progression of the degradation mechanism under existing environmental and operational conditions, to support the development of compatible repair solutions capable of mitigating the degradation mechanisms and meeting the targeted 75-year service-life objective.

As part of this phase SIMCO completed:

• Exposure and operational conditions evaluation (temperature, freeze-that cycles, etc)
• Concrete mixture analysis and recommendations
• Reinforcement material recommendations
• Early-age shrinkage cracking modeling for the design scenarios
• Service-life analysis of the scenarios considered to analyze optimal repair depth and cover depth

The durability analyses and performance-based evaluations completed by SIMCO enabled the Consortium to refine the repair concepts, mitigate the impact of ongoing deterioration mechanisms, and develop a rehabilitation strategy designed to achieve long-term structural performance and durability objectives.

As the project progresses toward implementation, SIMCO continues to support the Consortium through the preparation of the plans and specifications, helping translate durability engineering insights into practical, long-lasting repair solutions.

To learn more about Jacques Cartier Bridge :
PJCCI – Jacques-Cartier Bridge