Victoria Bridge (Montreal)

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Victoria Bridge
Victoria Bridge under construction
Carries	Quebec route 112 Canadian National Railway, AMT Mont-Saint-Hilaire, VIA Rail, and Amtrak
Crosses	St. Lawrence River
Locale	Longueuil, Quebec and Montreal, Quebec
Opening date	August 25, 1860

Victoria Bridge (Pont Victoria in French) at Montreal, Quebec, is the first bridge to span the St. Lawrence River. It remains in use to this day, carrying both road and rail traffic, with rails in the middle and roadways (part of QC 112) on both sides. It opened in 1859 and was initially named the Victoria Bridge in honour of Queen Victoria. After renovations in 1897 (see description below), it was rededicated as the Victoria Jubilee Bridge. The bridge is approximately 5 kilometres (3 miles) long, and includes 24 ice-breaking piers.

Victoria Bridge is a key historic structure in Canada, one still actively used by the Canadian National Railway on its Halifax to Montreal main line, and it remains a major contributor to Montreal's role as a continental hub in the North American rail system. 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 made of prefabricated sections made in England and designed by Robert Stephenson, son of the builder of the famed Rocket locomotive. 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 the 1960's 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.

Victoria Bridge as it appeared in 1898

[edit] "The Irish Stone"

When the bridge was being built the workmen discovered human remains of Irish immigrants to Canada who had fled the famine in Ireland in 1847-8. Unfortunately many of these immigrants had died of typhus when they arrived in Canada. At the bridge approach there is a stone that has become known as "The Irish Stone" with the following inscription:

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 There is a special bus (Number 55) from the Réseau de transport de Longueuil, It is the only bus that is allowed on the bridge. In the evening (15:00 to 19:00), 2 lanes are used in the opposite direction. Otherwise, one lane is used for each direction.