Southbound Mercier Bridge to be completely rebuilt

04/30/2017

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to advise the community that the Government of Quebec has announced that the southbound side of the Mercier Bridge that crosses directly over the St. Lawrence River will be completely rebuilt. Representatives from the Province, along with the Ministry of Transport, made the announcement at a press conference earlier today at Lasalle, Quebec.
 
“This announcement is very good news for Kahnawà:ke and the entire region, as this oldest section of the Mercier Bridge has clearly been in a deteriorating condition for several years now,” said Grand Chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton.  “We are looking forward to maintaining a central role in this project, as we did on the earlier rehabilitation works.  The work we have undertaken with our political counterparts in Quebec in the past paves the way for our continued collaboration as a key partner on this major project. At today′s announcement, they prominently acknowledged that our ironworkers, our Skywalkers, have taken part in building some of the most famous and complex bridges and structures in North America, and that our continued collaboration will be a critical component of a bridge rebuild. We now turn our attention to focusing on how Kahnawà:ke will continue to play a role in the more intricate details of the planning and construction phase.”
 
The new southbound structure will be two lanes wide, with a pedestrian/bike path. It will be constructed alongside the existing span, which will remain in operation during construction to minimize impact on road users.
 
While the details of this project have not yet been announced, the MCK will provide the community with updates as soon as they become available.