The city of Quebec has just ordered a detailed health check for 95-year-old Scott Bridge, whose future seems more uncertain than ever. Everything is on the table, including the scenario of a reconstruction.
Overlooking the Saint-Charles river and connecting the Vanier and Saint-Sauveur districts, this nearly 100-year-old structure will first undergo a load-bearing test.
The firm CIMA+, which won a $256,000 contract, is also required to conduct a pre-project study to evaluate the work to be carried out to “ensure user safety and the durability of the structure.”
In the tender documents and addendums consulted by Le Journal, we find a wide range of repair scenarios to consider, ranging from summary repairs to “replacing the structure”, including the full structure.
The city will await the engineers’ findings and their recommendations before deciding on the future of the structure, which will at best be facelifted or, at worst, demolished.
“The hydraulic performance of the structure is not certain and must be demonstrated under this mandate,” the technical specifications read.
cost analysis
The CIMA+ engineers must also carry out a comparative analysis of the different scenarios developed and assess the associated costs over a 40-year period, in addition to an ecological characterization study of the environment and the provision of development plans in a draft report.
As of press time, the City of Quebec had not responded to Journal questions on the subject.
Whether the city would prefer a one-lane or two-lane bridge in the same place during a conversion is not foreseeable.
Lavigueur Bridge
CIMA+ will also carry out a study on the load-bearing capacity of the Lavigueur Bridge, built in 1915.
This centuries-old structure in Pointe-aux-Lièvres also has a single lane with a maximum weight of 15 tons.
“The carrying capacity assessment aims to revise and update the current weight limit. Unlike the Scott Bridge, the Lavigueur Bridge underwent major strengthening work in 2021. The engineering firm should have completed its analysis work for both bridges by the end of October.
THE SCOTT BRIDGE IN BRIEF
The current bridge was built 95 years ago in 1928
Other bridges preceded it in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries
Named in honor of Customs Inspector Thomas Scott, who ceded a tract of land to allow for its construction and access
Length 55 meters, width 8.9 meters
A single lane and two sidewalks
The deck consists of a reinforced concrete slab resting on a galvanized steel deck
*Sources: City of Quebec and Historical Society of Quebec
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