4 weeks to go on Mercier Bridge construction blitz

After eight years and $200 million, the federal bridge authority says the work to replace the Mercier Bridge's concrete deck will be finished in four weeks.

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"We're about three days ahead of schedule so we're quite confident to be able to finish on time," said CatherineTremblayof the federal bridge authority.

She said 70 per centof the concrete slabs being replaced this summer have been installed.

The new slabs are meant to extend the lifespan of this portion of the bridge by 75 years.

Traffic, traffic, traffic

The construction project has caused traffic headaches for people who rely on the bridge.

"We have only one lane available in each direction so we are aware that there's some impacton users," said Raphal Lavoie, project coordinator for work on the Mercier.

The recurring traffic on the bridge in the last few years led one regular user to starta Facebook group which crowdsources traffic updates.

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The bridge authority said that the bridge be should be avoided if possible andinstead recommends takingpublic transit or an alternate route.

Several entrances to the bridge are also closed for the duration of the work.

More work coming on the Mercier Bridge

The Mercier Bridge is co-managed by the federal and provincial governments. However, this eight-year-long project is being carried out only on the federal portion.

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The province said they will soon have work to do on its side as well.

Quebec's transport ministry said that a "major intervention" will be needed on its section of the Mercier sometime in the future, which could involve major repairs or the complete replacement of the bridge.

The ministry hasnot indicated when this work could begin.

The Mohawk Bridge Consortium which includes five Mohawk companies is a partner with the provincial and federal governments on the Mercier Bridge project.

The consortium saidit would like to continue working with the province on upcoming major projects.

"We always say the Mercier Bridge is a part of Kahnawake and the work is for the Mohawks. We've been here going on nine years," said Sterling Deer of theconsortium.