List of bridges to the Island of Montreal facts for kids

Montreal is a big city built on an island, so it needs many bridges and tunnels to connect it to other places. Imagine trying to get to school or a friend's house if you lived on an island and there were no bridges! Before bridges, people used boats or ferries to cross the water.

The city was founded way back in 1642, but the first way to cross by land didn't appear until 1847. That's when a wooden bridge was built over the Rivière des Prairies to Île Jésus (now part of Laval). This bridge was near where the Ahuntsic Bridge is today. Soon after, other bridges followed, making it easier to travel to and from Montreal.

When railroads became popular, Montreal got even more connections. In 1854, train bridges were built in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, linking Montreal Island to Ontario and the Vaudreuil-Soulanges area. In 1860, the Victoria Bridge opened, connecting Montreal to the South Shore. This bridge was the longest in the world when it first opened!

Connecting Montreal: Bridges and Tunnels

Montreal Island is surrounded by three rivers: the St. Lawrence River, the Rivière des Prairies, and the Ottawa River. This means that to get on or off the island by land, you need to use a bridge or a tunnel.

This section lists the main bridges and tunnels that connect Montreal Island to other areas. They are listed as if you were traveling around the island in a circle, starting from the southwest and moving counter-clockwise. The year shown is for the bridge or tunnel that is currently there. If an older one was replaced, the original year is also noted.

Bridges Over the St. Lawrence River

Crossing the Saint Lawrence River has always been a big challenge for engineers. The river is wide, deep, has strong currents, and can freeze in winter.

The Victoria Bridge, built in 1860 for trains, was about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) long. It was the longest bridge in the world at the time! Later, in 1898, it was also opened for cars.

The Canadian Pacific Railway built its own train bridge, the Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge, in 1886. For this project, the Mohawk people of Kahnawake helped build the steel structure.

In the 1930s, the first bridges just for cars were built: the Jacques-Cartier and Mercier bridges. More bridges, like the Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge–Tunnel and the original Champlain Bridge, were added in the 1960s.

For over 50 years, no new major crossings were built. Then, a brand new Samuel De Champlain Bridge was built. It cost billions of dollars and opened in 2019, replacing the older Champlain Bridge.

In the 1950s, the Saint Lawrence Seaway was built to allow large ships to travel inland. This project required big changes to all the bridges that existed back then.

Span	Picture	First span built	Current span built	Communities linked	Carries	Name origin	Coordinates
Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge		1886	1910	(M) Borough of LaSalle	Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) exo Candiac commuter train	Named after the Saint Lawrence River	45°25′8″N 73°39′34″W / 45.41889°N 73.65944°W / 45.41889; -73.65944 (Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge)
				(O) Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve
Honoré Mercier Bridge		—	1934, 1963	(M) Borough of LaSalle	Route 138	Honoré Mercier (1840–1894), a former Premier of Quebec	45°25′0″N 73°39′18″W / 45.41667°N 73.65500°W / 45.41667; -73.65500 (Honoré Mercier Bridge)
				(O) Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve
Champlain Bridge Ice Structure		—	1964	(M) Borough of Verdun	Route Verte 1 and 2 (bike paths)	Samuel de Champlain (c. 1580–1635), who founded Quebec City	45°27′57″N 73°31′11″W / 45.46583°N 73.51972°W / 45.46583; -73.51972 (Champlain Bridge Ice Structure)
				(O) St. Lawrence Seaway levee (a raised bank)
Samuel De Champlain Bridge		1962	2019	(M) Borough of Verdun	Autoroutes 10, 15, and 20		45°28′7″N 73°31′15″W / 45.46861°N 73.52083°W / 45.46861; -73.52083 (Champlain Bridge)
				(I) Île des Sœurs (exit)
				(O) Brossard
Victoria Bridge		1860	1898	(M) Borough of Le Sud-Ouest	Route 112 Canadian National Railway (CN) exo Mont-Saint-Hilaire commuter train Via Rail and Amtrak passenger trains	Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819–1901)	45°29′29″N 73°31′46″W / 45.49139°N 73.52944°W / 45.49139; -73.52944 (Victoria Bridge)
				(O) Saint-Lambert
Pont de la Concorde and Pont des Îles		—	1965	(M) Borough of Ville-Marie	Pierre-Dupuy Avenue and Route Verte 1 and 2	Named after Montreal's motto, Concordia salus (meaning "well-being through harmony")	45°30′22″N 73°32′17″W / 45.50611°N 73.53806°W / 45.50611; -73.53806 (Pont de la Concorde) 45°30′28″N 73°31′49″W / 45.50778°N 73.53028°W / 45.50778; -73.53028 (Saint-Lambert) (Pont des Îles)
				(O) Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame (Parc Jean-Drapeau), borough of Ville-Marie, Montreal
Montreal Metro Tunnel		—	1966	(M) Borough of Ville-Marie (Berri-UQAM station)	Line 4 Yellow (subway)	—	45°30′N 73°32′W / 45.500°N 73.533°W / 45.500; -73.533 (Metro tunnel (line 4))
				(I) Île Sainte-Hélène (Jean-Drapeau station) and Île Notre-Dame
				(O) Longueuil, borough of Vieux-Longueuil (Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke station)
Jacques Cartier Bridge		—	1930	(M) Borough of Ville-Marie	Route 134 Pedestrians and bicycles	Jacques Cartier (1491–1557), a French explorer	45°31′17″N 73°32′28″W / 45.52139°N 73.54111°W / 45.52139; -73.54111 (Jacques Cartier Bridge)
				(I) Île Sainte-Hélène (exit) and Île Notre-Dame
				(O) Longueuil, borough of Vieux-Longueuil
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge–Tunnel		—	1967	(M) Borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve	Autoroute 25/Trans-Canada Highway	Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine (1807–1864), a former Prime Minister of the Province of Canada	45°35′0″N 73°29′51″W / 45.58333°N 73.49750°W / 45.58333; -73.49750 (Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel)
				(I) Île Charron (Îles de Boucherville) (exit)
				(O) Longueuil, borough of Vieux-Longueuil

Bridges Over the Rivière des Prairies

The Rivière des Prairies is smaller than the St. Lawrence, but it also needed bridges. The first wooden toll bridges were built in the 1840s to connect Montreal to Laval. Before that, people used ferries to cross the river.

The first train line across this river opened in 1876. The Bordeaux Railway Bridge is the oldest bridge still standing that connects Montreal to Laval over this river. In the 1960s and 1970s, many new highway bridges were built, and older ones like the Pie IX Bridge were updated for faster traffic.

Span	Picture	First span built	Current span built	Communities linked	Carries	Name origin	Coordinates
Le Gardeur Bridge		—	1939 (widened 1975)	(M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles	Route 138 and Route Verte 5	Pierre Le Gardeur de Repentigny (1605–1648), a French lord	45°42′13″N 73°29′1″W / 45.70361°N 73.48361°W / 45.70361; -73.48361 (Pierre Le Gardeur Bridge)
				(I) Île Bourdon
				(O) Repentigny
Laurier Railway Bridge		—	1904	(M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles	CN Via Rail exo Mascouche commuter train	Wilfrid Laurier (1841–1919), a former Prime Minister of Canada	45°42′10″N 73°29′8″W / 45.70278°N 73.48556°W / 45.70278; -73.48556 (Laurier Railway Bridge)
				(I) Île Bourdon
				(O) Charlemagne
Charles de Gaulle Bridge		—	1965	(M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles	Autoroute 40	Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970), a former President of France	45°42′7″N 73°30′32″W / 45.70194°N 73.50889°W / 45.70194; -73.50889 (Charles de Gaulle Bridge)
				(O) Charlemagne
Olivier-Charbonneau Bridge		—	2011	(M) Borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles	Autoroute 25	Olivier Charbonneau (c.1613-1687), the first European settler of Île Jésus	45°38′16″N 73°37′14″W / 45.63778°N 73.62056°W / 45.63778; -73.62056 (Highway 25 bridge)
				(O) Laval (Saint-François)
Pie IX Bridge		1937	1967	(M) Borough of Montreal North	Route 125	Pope Pius IX (1792–1878)	45°35′57″N 73°38′49″W / 45.59917°N 73.64694°W / 45.59917; -73.64694 (Pie IX Bridge)
				(O) Laval (Saint-Vincent-de-Paul)
Centrale de la Rivière des Prairies		—	1930	(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville	Hydro-Québec (a power station)	Named after the Rivière des Prairies	45°35′17″N 73°39′21″W / 45.58806°N 73.65583°W / 45.58806; -73.65583 (Centrale de la Rivière des Prairies)
				(I) Île de la Visitation and Île du Cheval de Terre
				(O) Laval (Duvernay)
Papineau-Leblanc Bridge		—	1969	(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville	Autoroute 19	Louis-Joseph Papineau (1786–1871), a leader of the Patriote movement Alpha Leblanc (1908–1962), a local landowner	45°34′34″N 73°40′1″W / 45.57611°N 73.66694°W / 45.57611; -73.66694 (Papineau-Leblanc Bridge)
				(I) Île de la Visitation
				(O) Laval (Duvernay)
Viau Bridge (Ahuntsic Bridge)		1847	1962 (widened 1993)	(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville	Route 335	Ahuntsic, a Huron boy who drowned in 1625. The origin of the name Viau is uncertain.	45°33′26″N 73°40′32″W / 45.55722°N 73.67556°W / 45.55722; -73.67556 (Ahuntsic Bridge)
				(O) Laval (Pont-Viau)
Montreal Metro Tunnel		—	2007	(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville (Henri-Bourassa station)	Line 2 Orange (subway)	—	45°33′N 73°40′W / 45.550°N 73.667°W / 45.550; -73.667 (Metro tunnel (line 2))
				(O) Laval (Cartier station)
Bordeaux Railway Bridge		—	1876	(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville	CPR exo Saint-Jérôme commuter train Quebec Gatineau Railway Route Verte 1 and 2	Named after Bordeaux, a former town	45°32′53″N 73°41′58″W / 45.54806°N 73.69944°W / 45.54806; -73.69944 (Bordeaux Railway Bridge)
				(I) Île Perry
				(O) Laval (Laval-des-Rapides)
Médéric Martin Bridge		—	1958 (widened 1991)	(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville	Autoroute 15/Trans-Canada Highway	Médéric Martin (1869–1946), a former Mayor of Montreal	45°32′25″N 73°42′45″W / 45.54028°N 73.71250°W / 45.54028; -73.71250 (Médéric Martin Bridge)
				(O) Laval (Laval-des-Rapides)
Lachapelle Bridge (Cartierville Bridge)		1848	1930, 1975	(M) Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville	Route 117	Pascal Persillier-Lachapelle, who built the first bridge	45°31′59″N 73°43′43″W / 45.53306°N 73.72861°W / 45.53306; -73.72861 (Lachapelle Bridge)
				(O) Laval (Chomedey)
Louis Bisson Bridge		—	1975	(M) Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro	Autoroute 13	Louis Bisson (1909–1997), a Canadian pilot	45°30′42″N 73°45′54″W / 45.51167°N 73.76500°W / 45.51167; -73.76500 (Louis Bisson Bridge)
				(O) Laval (Chomedey / Sainte-Dorothée)
Île Bigras railway crossing		—	1916	(M) Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro	CN (Used to be for the Deux-Montagnes commuter train, now being replaced by the Réseau express métropolitain)	(no official name)	45°30′59″N 73°50′52″W / 45.51639°N 73.84778°W / 45.51639; -73.84778 (Railway bridges)
				(I) (Île Bigras) Île-Bigras commuter train station
				(O) Laval (Sainte-Dorothée)
Jacques Bizard Bridge		1893	1966	(M) Sainte-Geneviève, Montreal, borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève	Boulevard Jacques Bizard	Jacques Bizard (1642–1692), a local landowner	45°29′15″N 73°52′5″W / 45.48750°N 73.86806°W / 45.48750; -73.86806 (Jacques Bizard Bridge)
				(O) Île Bizard (Montreal, borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève)

Bridges Over the Lake of Two Mountains and Ottawa River East Channel

The very first train bridge to Montreal Island was built over the Ottawa River East Channel in 1854. This bridge, along with another built at the same time over the West Channel, was the first permanent connection from Montreal to the mainland.

It wasn't until 1925 that a permanent road link was built across the Ottawa River from Montreal Island. This link included the Galipeault Bridge and Taschereau Bridge. Before the Île aux Tourtes Bridge was built, Île Perrot was the only way to drive west out of Montreal.

All three bridges across the Ottawa River East Channel have a twin bridge built at the same time across the West Channel.

Span	Picture	First span built	Current span built	Communities linked	Carries	Name origin	Coordinates
Île aux Tourtes Bridge		—	1966	(M) Senneville	Autoroute 40/Trans-Canada Highway	Named after Île aux Tourtes (which means Wild Pigeon island)	45°25′13″N 73°59′7″W / 45.42028°N 73.98528°W / 45.42028; -73.98528 (Île aux Tourtes Bridge) (Across Lake of Two Mountains)
				(I) Île Girwood, Île aux Tourtes
				(O) Vaudreuil-Dorion
Canadian Pacific Rail Bridge		—	1893	(M) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue	CPR exo Vaudreuil-Hudson commuter train	(no official names)	45°24′12″N 73°57′24″W / 45.40333°N 73.95667°W / 45.40333; -73.95667 (Canadian Pacific Rail Bridge) (Across Canal Sainte-Anne)
				(I) Île Bellevue
				(O) Île Perrot
Canadian National Rail Bridge		—	1854	(M) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue	CN Via Rail Canada passenger trains to Ottawa/Toronto		45°24′12″N 73°57′24″W / 45.40333°N 73.95667°W / 45.40333; -73.95667 (Canadian National Rail Bridge) (Across Canal Sainte-Anne)
				(I) Île Bellevue
				(O) Île Perrot
Galipeault Bridge		1925	1991, 2009	(M) Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue	Autoroute 20 and Route Verte 5	Antonin Galipeault (1879–1971), a Quebec politician	45°24′10″N 73°57′21″W / 45.40278°N 73.95583°W / 45.40278; -73.95583 (Galipeault Bridge) (Across Canal Sainte-Anne)
				(I) Île Bellevue
				(O) Île Perrot

Images for kids

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  Bridges are needed to connect Montreal to the mainland (gray).

See also