Concerned about the need to optimize public investment in the renovation or reconstruction of Quebec’s infrastructure, Béton Concept A.M. has opted, in recent months, for an innovative work planning method for the execution of major work, reinforcement and repair of the girders of the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge. This very busy and strategic access link to the metropolis in the West Island of Montreal is awaiting a full reconstruction as part of the 2019-2029 Quebec Infrastructure Plan.

More specifically, the company has replicated in house the existing elements of the bridge at its plant and on scale for organizational, anticipation and risk management purposes, with the goal of delivering a structure of the highest quality while fully respecting costs and deadlines. This was announced today by the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Me Nicolas Croteau, who indicated that this project was led by Béton Concept A.M.’s engineers and technical team, in collaboration with Sika Canada, a world leader in concrete protection and rehabilitation, which developed this product specifically in Quebec for specialized projects of this type.

Erected at the time, in 1965, with concrete beams, the two-kilometre structure spanned Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes and was in very poor condition. Major work was required to maintain the safety of users and the circulation of goods. Considered, for all intents and purposes, as the little brother of the old Champlain Bridge, this structure still accommodates a little more than 85,000 vehicles that use it every day, including 9,000 trucks and road trains, making it essential for trade links with Ontario and the United States.

“In order to achieve the highest standards of quality and efficiency on the job site, we have previously carried out simulations at our plant to simulate the installation of carbon fibre-reinforced polymers according to the geometry of the various structural elements that contributed to the reinforcement of the repaired sections, to ensure the full functionality and safety of this essential road link until it is rebuilt,” said the company’s vice-president, Robert Lapointe P.Eng, M.Eng, MBA.

“A specialized piece of equipment was acquired in the United States to ensure the integrity of the impregnation process of the carbon fiber structural reinforcement fabric,” said on the other hand the company’s CEO, who concluded by pointing out that this work, which cost more than $1 million, was carried out in cooperation with the general contractor, Construction Interlag Inc.