Bridge maintenance costs money

The federal crown corporation minding our bridges will spend $51 million to keep the old Champlain safe to use till the new one opens, while $211 million will go to keeping the Jacques-Cartier usable for another fifty years: it will outlive many of us.

Update: Despite these investments the actual roadwork obstacles for 2018 are not expected to be a big deal. The old Champlain is expected to close by the end of the year, and the work planned for the Jacques-Cartier is maintenance on the steel and paint, not the road itself. No major work is even planned for the Mercier.