Victoria Bridge (Montreal)

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name= Victoria Bridge


caption= Victoria Bridge under construction
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carries= Route 112
Canadian National Railway, AMT Mont-Saint-Hilaire, VIA Rail, and Amtrak
crosses= St. Lawrence River
locale= Saint-Lambert, Quebec and Montreal, Quebec (Neighbourhood of Victoriatown)
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design= Tubular bridge, Truss bridge
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width=
clearance=
below=
traffic=
open= August 25, 1860
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coordinates= Coord|45.49165|-73.52912|type:landmark_region:CA-QC|display=inline,title|name=Victoria Bridge
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Victoria Bridge ( _fr. Pont Victoria) is a bridge over the St. Lawrence River, linking Montreal, Quebec, to the south shore city of Saint-Lambert.

Opened in 1859, the bridge was the first to span the St. Lawrence River, and as such is an important historic bridge in Canada. It remains in use to this day, carrying both road and rail traffic, with rails in the middle and roadways (part of Route 112) on both sides. It is actively used by the Canadian National Railway on its Halifax to Montreal main line. It is a major contributor to Montreal's role as a continental hub in the North American rail system.

Originally named the Victoria Bridge in honour of Queen Victoria, it was officially rededicated as the Victoria Jubilee Bridge following renovations in 1897. However it is still commonly referred to by its original name as simply the "Victoria Bridge".

The bridge is approximately 3 kilometres (2 miles) long, and includes 24 ice-breaking piers.

History

Prior to the construction of the Victoria Bridge, it was difficult and at times impossible to cross the St. Lawrence River during the long winter season, as freeze up and thawing in the fall and spring made for treacherous conditions. Crossings took place by boat during the summer, by sleigh and railcite web|url=http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/VIEW-1141.1 |title=Railway on the ice over St. Lawrence River, Montreal, QC, 1880 |accessdate=2008-08-25 |publisher=McCord Museum] during the winter.

A site for the bridge was selected by the eminent Canadian engineer Thomas Keefer. Erected between 1854 and 1859, Victoria Bridge was officially inaugurated by Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales on August 25 1860. The first freight train however had already passed over the bridge on December 12 1859, and the first passenger train had crossed the bridge five days later on December 17. Queen Victoria had been invited to attend the opening of the bridge, but she declined the invitation and instead sent her eldest son, the Prince of Wales and heir to her throne.

When completed, it was the longest bridge in the world. During its peak construction years six steamboats, 72 barges, 3,040 men (of which there were several children between the ages of 8 and 12Fact|date=August 2008), 144 horses, and four locomotive engines were required to erect it at a cost of $6,600,000. The construction of the bridge was tied directly with that of the Grand Trunk Railway, a system headquartered in Britain which had been formed in 1852 with the support of the colonial government of the United Province of Canada to connect the Great Lakes with an ice-free port on the Atlantic Ocean (at Portland, Maine).

The chief engineer was James Hodges. The original deck was a long structural metal tube (a tubular bridge) made of prefabricated sections made in England and designed by Robert Stephenson, son of the builder of the famed "Rocket" locomotive, and Alexander McKenzie Ross. The contractors were the English partnership of Peto, Brassey and Betts. In 1897–1898, the metal tube from 1860 was replaced by metal trusses, common at the time. To minimize traffic disruptions, the trusses were assembled around the tube, which permitted the tube to continue service to train traffic. The tube was then demolished. The stone piers from 1860, slightly altered in 1897, still testify to the excellent original engineering.

The St. Lambert Diversion around the St. Lambert Locks was added in 1958 as part of the St. Lawrence Seaway project. This secondary bridge over the canal, south of the main bridge, also carries both road and rail, and is used when a ship is passing under the original alignment.

The Black Rock

When the bridge was being built, workmen discovered the human remains of Irish immigrants to Canada, who had fled the famine in Ireland, only to die from typhus in fever sheds at nearby Windmill Point. [cite journal |last=Gallagher |first=The Reverend John A. |year=1936 |title=The Irish Emigration of 1847 and Its Canadian Consequences |journal=CCHA Report, University of Manitoba Web site |url=http://www.umanitoba.ca/colleges/st_pauls/ccha/Back%20Issues/CCHA1935-36/Gallagher.html |accessdate=2008-03-23 ] [cite news |first=Tracey |last=Lindeman |title=Griffintown: a chronology |url=http://www.montrealmirror.com/2008/032008/news1.html |work=Montreal Mirror |date=2008-03-20 |accessdate=2008-03-23 ] At the bridge approach, a large rock was erected, officially called the Irish Commemorative Stone but locally known as The Black Rock.

Its incription reads:

Use

During the morning rush hour, both lanes of the Victoria Bridge are used to travel north, from the residential suburb of Saint-Lambert to the business districts of Montreal. In the evening, both lanes are used in the opposite direction.

The only bus route allowed on the bridge is a special bus from the Réseau de transport de Longueuil, bus number 55. The line is served by Classic Buses due to weight restrictions on the bridge (57 customers if it is a classic one and 38 if it is a low-floor type bus). All other heavy vehicles are forbidden from accessing the bridge and must detour either via the Champlain or Jacques-Cartier bridge. The low clearance on both approaches and the narrow lanes on the bridge itself make the bridge virtually inaccessible even to light trucks.

Gallery

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, 1860

References

* Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (August 16 2005), " [http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm Significant dates in Canadian railway history] ". Retrieved August 25 2005.
* Rapley, John (2003). "The Britannia & Other Tubular Bridges", Tempus Publishing Ltd,
*cite book | last =Walker | first =Charles | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Thomas Brassey, Railway Builder | publisher =Frederick Muller | year =1969 | location =London | pages =90–92 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =0584103050

External links

* [http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/virtualexhibits/victoriabridge/ The Victoria Bridge] - Virtual Exhibit (requires Flash plugin)
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Crossings navbox
structure = Bridges
place = St. Lawrence River
bridge = Victoria Bridge
bridge signs =
upstream = Champlain Bridge
upstream signs =
downstream = Concorde Bridge
downstream signs =