Victoria Bridge (Montreal)
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| Victoria Bridge | |
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 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) |
| Design | Tubular bridge, Truss bridge |
| Opening date | August 25, 1860 |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
Victoria Bridge (French: Pont Victoria) at Montreal, Quebec, is the first bridge to span the St. Lawrence River.
The bridge 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 opened in 1859 and was named the Victoria Bridge in honour of Queen Victoria. Following renovations in 1897 (see description below), it was officially rededicated as the Victoria Jubilee Bridge, although it is 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.
The Victoria Bridge is an important historic bridge in Canada and is still 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.
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[edit] History
Prior to its construction 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. During the summer river crossings took place by boat and in winter by sleigh.
Erected between 1854 and 1859, Victoria Bridge was officially inaugurated by Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales on August 25, 1860; however, the first freight train passed over the bridge on December 12, 1859 and the first passenger train crossed the bridge five days later on December 17. Queen Victoria had been invited to attend the opening of the bridge, however, 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 12), 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 (1814-1879). 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.
[edit] The Black Rock
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When the bridge was being built the workmen discovered 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.[1] [2] 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:
- To preserve from descration the remains of 6000 immigrants who died of ship fever A.D.1847-8 this stone is erected by the workmen of Messrs. Peto, Brassey and Betts employed in the construction of the Victoria Bridge A.D.1859.
[edit] Usage
During the morning rush hour (06:00 to 09:00), 2 lanes of the Victoria Bridge are used to travel north, from Saint-Lambert, Quebec to Montreal, Quebec. In the evening (15:00 to 19:00), 2 lanes are used in the opposite direction, with tracks in the middle.
There is a special bus (Number 55) from the Réseau de transport de Longueuil. This line is served by Classic Buses due to weight restrictions on the bridge (57 customers if it's a classic one and 38 if it's a low floor type bus). It is the only bus route allowed on the bridge. 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.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Gallagher, The Reverend John A. (1936). "The Irish Emigration of 1847 and Its Canadian Consequences". CCHA Report, University of Manitoba Web site.
- ^ Lindeman, Tracey. "Griffintown: a chronology", Montreal Mirror, 2008-03-20. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
- Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (August 16, 2005), Significant dates in Canadian railway history. Retrieved August 25, 2005.
- Rapley, John (2003). The Britannia & Other Tubular Bridges, Tempus Publishing Ltd,
- Walker, Charles (1969). Thomas Brassey, Railway Builder. London: Frederick Muller, 90–92. ISBN 0584103050.
[edit] External links
- The Victoria Bridge - Virtual Exhibit (requires Flash plugin)
- Victoria Bridge (1859) in the Structurae database
- Victoria Bridge (1898) in the Structurae database
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