Engineers still unsure how old Champlain Bridge will be deconstructed

New Champlain Bridge to open soon, so what will happen to old structure? On Saturday the bridge’s board held a public consultation, but many questions remain. Its deconstruction is expected to last three years.

Construction on the new Champlain Bridge connecting Nuns' Island and the South Shore is nearly complete, which now raises the question of how the old structure will come down.

It’s a deconstruction process that’s expected to last three years, starting in 2020.

The agency in charge is Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated, a crown corporation overseeing the two structures and their surroundings.

The corporation’s goal is to finish its environmental analysis by the end of this summer.

On Saturday, residents had their say at a public consultation.

Many of them are worried about how the deconstruction will affect their daily lives.

“If you have to get somewhere in the morning, you don’t know whether to take an extra 20 minutes or an extra 45 minutes,” said Mona Dermarkar, who has lived within a kilometre of the bridge for the past 25 years.

Dermarkar may just decide not to leave Nuns' Island at all.

“I’m at the point where I hardly get out of the house at all,” she said. “I try to do my shopping all in one shot. I try not to leave the island.”

Engineers are still trying to figure out how the deconstruction will even happen.

Several questions remain, including which firm will win the project’s contract.

“People obviously want to know how we’re going to deconstruct the bridge,” said Sylvain Montminy, a project manager with Parsons. “We’re not ready to tell them.”

There’s also the matter of dealing with 250,000 tonnes of concrete and 25,000 tonnes of steel.

One resident had an idea that would tackle a current issue.

“Put the concrete into permanent berms where appropriate, in order to protect long-term against flooding,” said Charles Shannon.

Public consultations continue through June 30.