Laviolette Bridge | |
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| Coordinates | 46°18′24″N72°33′38″W / 46.30667°N 72.56056°W /46.30667; -72.56056 |
| Carries |  A-55 |
| Crosses | St. Lawrence River |
| Locale | Trois-Rivières andBécancour, Quebec |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Through arch bridge |
| Total length | 2,707 m (8,881 ft) |
| Longest span | 335 m (1,100 ft) |
| Clearance below | 54.8 m (180 ft) |
| No. oflanes | 4 |
| History | |
| Opened | December 20, 1967 (1967-12-20) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 41,000 |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Laviolette Bridge | |
TheLaviolette Bridge (French:pont Laviolette) is anarch bridge connecting the city ofTrois-Rivières toBécancour on the south shore of theSaint Lawrence River viaAutoroute 55.
Laviolette Bridge is the only bridge that spans the Saint Lawrence River betweenMontreal andQuebec City; it provides an important connection between the North and South shores of the river, with approximately 40,000 vehicles crossing the bridge each day.
The bridge, an impressive structure with elegant aesthetics, has become a major landmark of Trois-Rivières and theMauricie region. It is ranked as the 61st among the world'slongest arch bridge spans.
Popular demand for a bridge had existed since the late 19th century. The construction of Laviolette Bridge did not start until 1964. On September 8, 1965, an explosion led to the bursting of acaisson because ofwater pressure, causing the death of twelve workers.
The bridge was inaugurated on December 20, 1967 byFernand Lafontaine, theministre de la voirie (minister of highways) of the government ofDaniel Johnson, Sr. It thus replaced the formerferry system in place. The name honours the founder of Trois-Rivières, theSieur de Laviolette.
In 2005, the Ministry of Transport of Québec began a three-year major renovation project, which caused major traffic jams throughout the summer of 2005, when the middle of the bridge was repaired. In 2006, the northern end was redone, followed by the southern end in 2007.
Bridges of theSt. Lawrence River | ||||
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Authority control databases: Geographic |
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