Stabilization of the banks along the Bonaventure Expressway from the Victoria Bridge to 625 metres west of the Clément Bridge

The banks of the Bonaventure Expressway currently have areas of steep slopes as well as areas showing active erosion in the tidal range. Investigations were conducted, and inspection and verification reports on the embankments' general stability reveal that the embankments need to be reinforced. The goal of this project is therefore to reinforce a section of the bank of the St. Lawrence River on the Island of Montreal that extends along the Bonaventure Expressway from the Victoria Bridge to 625 m west of the Clément Bridge.

The general goals of this stabilization work are to increase the overall stability coefficient of the embankment and protect the banks from ice and water erosion over the long term to account for the effects of climate change. The proposed bank stabilization approach accounts for technical and environmental constraints stemming from characteristics of the shoreline and surrounding land, including contaminated soils at the site and the containment system to capture free phase hydrocarbons.

For the bank section that extends 625 m west of the Clément Bridge, the planned work will include making the bank slope less steep. Environmental risk management measures include covering any potentially contaminated soil with a 50-cm layer of clean cover to create a physical barrier. Riprap will be laid down in the tidal range to protect the bank from erosion.

For the section between the Victoria Bridge and Clément Bridge, the planned work includes installing a stabilizing berm with an average width of 8 metres over 1,200 linear metres at the foot of the embankment. This in-water work will be optimized to minimize any encroachment into the fish habitat. Although the work will impact approximately 16,600 square metres of fish habitat, these impacts will be offset by fish habitat compensation projects. Once stabilized and regraded, the banks will be completely revegetated with native species and landscaped so that brown snakes in this area can re-establish their habitat.

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Notice of Decision

A joint analysis by The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and Transport Canada (TC) has determined that the project entitled Stabilization of the banks along the Bonaventure Expressway from the Victoria Bridge to 625 metres west of the Clément Bridge is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

It has made this determination based on the following factors:

  • The impacts on the rights of Indigenous peoples
  • Indigenous knowledge
  • Community knowledge
  • Comments received from the public
  • Mitigation measures that are technically and economically feasible

Effective mitigation measures have been planned for each potential impact on the environment. The main mitigation measures included in this determination are the following:

  • Develop and implement an emergency measures plan to respond to accidental spills, as required.
  • Implement a relocation and reintroduction program for brown snakes:
    • Prior to the work and from April to June or from mid-August to October, capture any brown snakes in the area and relocate them to a suitable sector nearby.
    • Install exclusion fencing to limit the presence of brown snakes in the work area.
    • Set up an ecological corridor for the free movement of brown snakes that links the vegetated areas downstream from the Victoria Bridge to the Clément Bridge and set up a second corridor from the Clément Bridge to the vegetated shoreline areas upstream from the bypass bridge.
    • Create micro-habitats and hibernation habitats for brown snakes during the work period so that they are more likely to return after the project. These micro-habitats could include mounds of rocks or branches spread out across plantings of native vegetation. The microhabitats should be spread throughout the green corridors and have greater density near the hibernation habitats. New habitats and preserved existing habitats used by brown snakes should be connected as much as possible and not isolated.
  • The backfill used for riprap must be clean stone, i.e. granular material that has gone through a sieving or equivalent process.
  • Implement a monitoring program for surface water quality.
  • Concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS) generated by the work must not exceed natural environmental concentrations (background level: ambient concentration) by more than 25 mg/L at 100 m from the work site for more than three consecutive hours. Similarly, TSS concentrations generated by the work must not exceed 5 mg/L above natural environmental concentrations (background level: ambient concentration) at 300 m from the work site for more than six consecutive hours.
  • Contaminated excavated soil or soil unsuitable for re-use must be directly loaded onto sealed dump trucks for transport to the soil on site.
  • At the end of the work, characterize all land that may have been contaminated by contaminated soil excavated during the construction activities.
  • Work in an aquatic environment must be done between August 1 and March 31, i.e. outside sensitive periods for potential spawning in the sector, and the duration of the work must be kept to a minimum.
  • Remove the temporary structures to contain the work area around the abutments and access ramp at the end of the work; the river bed in these areas must be returned to its original state.
  • Implement a compensation plan for any loss of fish habitat caused by the studied project, as this project will result in the unavoidable deterioration, destruction and disruption of fish habitat. The compensation plan includes a project to redevelop any disturbed land in the 0-2 year flood zone in Pointe-Calumet, which will sufficiently compensate for the impacts on fish habitat.
  • Before the tree clearing, excavation and backfilling work, verify the occurrence of any species in a precarious situation in the area and relocate found specimens to suitable similar habitats if necessary.
  • Have the site inspected by a biologist prior to the work to identify and delineate (plot out) the occurrence of species in a precarious situation in the work area.
  • The space between the two abutments under the Clément Bridge must be sufficient for recreational boating.

 

JCCBI has experience in carrying out similar work and is satisfied that this project is unlikely to cause significant adverse environmental impacts. Furthermore, a specialized supervision firm has been retained to continuously monitor the work and ensure that the planned mitigation measures are followed.

JCCBI will therefore go ahead and allow the project to proceed, either in whole or in part.

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Contacts

The Jacques Cartier Champlain Bridges Incorporated
Philippe Larouche, Environment Lead
1225, Saint-Charles W. Suite 500
Longueuil, Quebec J4K 0B9
Telephone: 450-651-8771
Fax: 450-677-6912
Email: edd@pjcci.ca


  • Location

    • Montreal (Quebec)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Highways and Roads

  • Assessment Status

    Completed

  • Start Date

    2023-06-15

  • Proponent

    The Jacques Cartier Champlain Bridges Incorporated

  • Authorities

    • Fisheries and Oceans Canada
    • Jacques-Cartier Champlain Bridges
    • Transport Canada

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    85679
Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

 

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