Work begins to repair Montreal-area bridge following collapse

After a massive chunk of the Sauvagine Bridge in Chateauguay, Que. collapsed, causing the road to be closed.

Work has begun to repair a massive hole in a bridge on Montreal’s South Shore after part of it collapsed.

The Sauvagine Bridge, which crosses the Châteauguay River. was completely shut down for a few hours on Wednesday after a truck driver noticed the hole and alerted the City of Châteauguay.

No one was injured.

The mayor shared photos of a gaping hole in the middle of one of the lanes and exposed rebar.

“I was not expecting something that big. It’s two metres by one metre large. It’s a huge hole. And you can see the river below it,” he said, adding he’s thankful no one was hurt. “It’s worrying to think [about]. No car was stuck there. That’s a that’s a good thing. But the hole appeared by itself. So, I’m very concerned,”

The 63-year-old bridge is the responsibility of Quebec’s Transport Ministry and is subject to regular inspections. It was last inspected in September 2024, when it was determined that major work was required. It was not due for another inspection until later this year.

Allard said demolition of the span was planned in 2022 and was postponed.

“I sincerely hope that today’s event will accelerate the steps already underway at the ministry so that the bridge can be completely rebuilt as quickly as possible. Our community deserves reliable and sustainable infrastructure,” he said, in a post on social media.

Early Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Transport, which is responsible for the bridge, said the westbound lane will remain closed until repair work is completed.

One lane of traffic was opened in each direction in the eastbound lane after officials deemed it was safe for traffic.

Allard said he remains concerned and won’t be driving on it himself.

“I cannot declare anything. I’m not I’m no engineer, but, me personally, I’m not going to pass on that bridge with my car. There’s no doubt in my mind,” he said.

A Transport Quebec spokesperson added that the ministry is preparing to rebuild the two structures of the bridge on Saint-Bernard Road over the river. The work is still in its early stages and is not expected to begin until 2028.

An average of about 6,000 vehicles drive on the bridge each day, five per cent of which include large trucks.

- With files from CTV News Montreal’s Matt Gilmour