The construction of Québec City’s Pierre-Laporte Bridge was quite a technological accomplishment. The sheer scale of the project called for a high degree of technical precision in both its design and its execution. In this picture, a 24-metre section is being lifted into the central span after being transported by a barge. The sections were prefabricated on the riverbank.

1968 - 2015

The Pierre-Laporte Bridge, a feat of Quebec engineering

As automobiles became widespread in the 1950s and 1960s, the Quebec Bridge reached capacity. In June 1966, construction began on a second road link between Québec City and Lévis, 200 metres from the Quebec Bridge. It would connect several highways. Originally intended to be called the Frontenac Bridge, it was renamed before its inauguration in November 1970 as a tribute to Pierre Laporte, a minister in the Bourassa Administration who died during the October Crisis. It is considered the longest main span on a suspension bridge in Canada. Today, 120,000 vehicles cross it every day.

A technical feat

Auteur inconnu The construction of Québec City’s Pierre-Laporte Bridge was quite a technological accomplishment. The sheer scale of the project called for a high degree of technical precision in both its design and its execution. In this picture, a 24-metre section is being lifted into the central span after being transported by a barge. The sections were prefabricated on the riverbank.

Chronoscope What do you notice in this image? (unilingual French for a limited time)

Depicted period: 1970

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