The Ice Bridge, a unique engineering achievement

Wikipedia published a lengthy article on the Ice Bridge that protects the Champlain Bridge from the river’s ice floes in spring. You can read all about it here: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estacade_du_pont_Champlain 

We should add that work is ongoing on the approaches to the Ice Bridge since the Fall of 2016.

Since the Ice Bridge is currently used to transport material used for the maintenance of the existing Champlain Bridge and the construction of the new bridge, the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridge Corporation installed automated systems to control accesses and check weights, and security cameras. They also improved the bike path access to the Ice Bridge. We are told that a rest area for cyclists will be made available from Nuns’ Island side of the bridge.

Finally, a hibernacula was installed near that area to study and protect the brown snakes population, an endangered species. Some residents reported seeing these protected vertebrates basking in the sun on our paths. Don’t worry; they are completely harmless creatures.