The Samuel De Champlain Bridge, one of the largest bridges in North America, opens

Spanning the St. Lawrence Seaway, which links marine traffic from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and connecting to three major highways, Autoroutes 10, 15, and 20, the Samuel De Champlain Bridge is one of the busiest corridors in Canada and is vital to both the local and national economy. 

Since 2012, Arup has provided comprehensive technical and procurement advice to the Government of Canada to facilitate the replacement of the aging Champlain Bridge and 8.5 kilometres of the congested Autoroutes 15 and 10 as quickly as possible. At the same time, Arup provided expert advice to ensure the architectural quality, durability and cost of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge were not compromised. 

The Government of Canada and Signature on the St. Lawrence Group carried through the design vision that Arup, together with Dissing + Weitling Architecture and Provencher Roy & Associates Architects, created in 2013 in collaboration with a Visual Quality Advisory Team comprised of local design experts.

The Samuel De Champlain Bridge, highly visible along the Saint Lawrence River, transforms the Montreal skyline and serves as a global symbol for the metropolis. The bridge boasts three corridors held up by a 160-metre tall tower in a shape of a tuning fork through an elegant harp of cables. 

The two outside decks will provide added capacity for motor vehicles with an additional lane in each direction and the central corridor is dedicated to public transit. The bridge also features a multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists. A viewing platform underneath the bridge provides a distinct perspective of the sculptural piers holding up the decks.