The Society for a Bridge over the Saguenay


Projects of bridge : Project in reference (1999)

Bridge project proposed by the firm Buckland and Taylor, member of the consortium Naturam-Genivar, responsible for the opportunity study on the Tadoussac ferry. After several studies on the question, namely by the engineer Monty in 1976 and the one of Legendre and associates in 1979, the Government of Quebec ordered an opportunity study in 1995 to be done by the consortium Naturam Genivar. This study analysed several sites for the location of a bridge and evaluated the costs. The most economic option was retained, it being a site located slightly upstream from the actual ferry boat service. The depth of the river at the projected site would require the construction of pillars extending out of the water, at the foot of the mountains on both sides of the Saguenay. We would obtain a bridge whose central span would be over 1400 m and which would become one of the 10 longest suspended bridges in the world. This bridge would be the longest suspended bridge in the vast zone which includes North America, Central America and South America. The projected location would require the construction of a 950 m viaduct on the east side and a 1.2 km tunnel on the west side. This last constraint could restrict trucks transporting dangerous materials from taking the bridge and oblige them to make a long detour towards the City of Saguenay (Chicoutimi) and return to the North Shore via highway 172. It would also influence the cost of the project which breaks down as follows. Cost of the Bridge proposed by the firm Buckland and Taylor in the study of the consortium Naturam-Genivar in 1999.1


Bridge:	253 000 000 $	(total length of 1 740 m with central span of 1 420 m)2
Tunnel:	86 000 000 $	(1.2 km)
Structure:	20 663 000 $	(viaduct of 950 m)
Highway:	10 761 000 $	(12.9 km of 4 lanes)

Total :	370 674 000 $

The structure of the proposed suspended bridge includes a superstructure whose central span is 1 420 m situated 88 m over the highest water level of the river.

Click on an image to visualize a large size

In light of new elements further to this study such as :

the awareness of the safety risks to the motorists all around the Saguenay River, among others by the description of Ferry Fever by coroner Dr. Arnaud Samson;
the increase in the number of vehicles crossing the river which higher than was foreseen;
the taking into consideration of the Labrador Road Initiative by which the Newfoundland Government would complete the Trans Labrador Highway between Labrador City and Blanc Sablon at a cost of over 500 M$ allowing the majority of the 28, 000 people of Labrador to have road access to central Canadian cities via highways 389 and 138, thus obliging crossing the Saguenay River at Tadoussac.
the announcement and preparation of major projects (hydroelectricity, aluminium plants, mines, etc…) in the North Shore Region and Labrador which imply investments of several billion dollars (approximately 26 billion for now) (invest1g_a.pdf 75Kb).

The Government of Quebec ordered in November 2001, a complete impact study on the construction of a bridge over the Saguenay River, starting in Tadoussac. This new study was started in the summer of 2002 and will finish in the autumn of 2004 and should contain all the pertinent information in order to start public audiences with the BAPE (Bureau d'Audience Publique en Environnement or the public hearing office for the environment), obligatory prelude for the construction of the bridge. An amount of two million dollars has been allocated to the consortium SNC Lavalin/Genivar for the completion of this study.

At the moment, the consortium is at the stage where it is collecting data concerning the socioeconomic and environmental impacts. As for the technical side, the engineering team of the SNC-Lavalin group has already established several parameters allowing the project to be optimized.