Superbeam removed from Champlain Bridge

The Champlain Bridge said goodbye to its super beam today, five months after it was installed to reinforce a crack on the bridges underside.

A team of about 30 steel workers and engineers dismantled the 75-tonne beam,before lowering it onto a barge and carting it away.

Over the past week crews worked to installthe beam's replacement, 50-tonnes worth of steel modular trusses designed to stay in place for the remainderof the bridge's lifespan.

Thesuperbeamwasinitially set to be removed two weeks ago, but officials with Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated said high winds made it impossible to finish the work under the bridge.

• Champlain Bridgesuperbeamremains due to high winds

Workers securedthesuperbeamto the span's underside in lateNovember2013to reinforce a cracked girder.

• Champlain Bridge reopens after 9-hour delay
• INFOGRAPHIC: How they're installing thesuperbeam

Crews wrapped Sunday afternoon, with plenty of time to spare before the Monday morning rush hour.

The temporary superbeam had narrowed traffic on the bridge and forced the removal of the reserved bus lane, but bridge authorities say that with the new modular trusses, traffic should soon be back to normal.

"Well I'm crossing my fingers," said one driver. Last time they had a problemthey couldn't take it off, so just hoping, right now it's going to be fixed."

The superbeam may be gonebut that's not the end of construction on the Champlain Bridge.

In the next few weeks,the bridge authority will focus on more preventive repair measures, asthe structure will have to last another four years, until its replacementset for 2018.