‘Signature’ bridge over Magog River chosen for Grandes-fourches replacement

On Monday, Sherbrooke City Council opted to build a "signature" cable-stayed bridge to replace the current one on Grandes-fourches over the Magog River. It is hoped, the City that said, that the new structure will be a powerful symbol of the spirit and history that has shaped the city’s development.

The choice of structure follows an architectural competition among teams of graduate architecture students from the Université de Laval.

Designed by Bernardo Baldisera, Joël Bertrand and Tiphaine Le Bellec, the ‘Pont Abénaquis’ features two arches symbolizing French and English colonists joining forces to develop the area. The resulting effect of the two arches is reminiscent of a teepee, a Native American emblem meant to reference the Abenaki, the first people to settle in the area. The blending of cables and fluid curves represents a dreamcatcher, also intended to integrate the culture of Indigenous peoples.

"Beyond the aesthetics, this choice permits clearing the center of the river from any foundations and support columns since the arches and cables provide the support for the bridge,” said City Councillor and Downtown Revitalization Committee Chair Chantal L’espérance. “As a result, nothing will interfere with recreational and tourist activities that will then be able to be held in the Magog River.”

"Everywhere in our downtown revitalization project, we want Sherbrooke to stand out for its appeal and vitality,” said Mayor Steve Lussier. “The construction of this bridge is a strong signal of our desire to make the people of Sherbrooke proud of their city."

The project calls for locating the new bridge just over 100 meters upstream from the current site and will become the common thread on both banks of the Magog River, integrating the area with downtown activities.

As part of the project, the City received a $26 million grant from the Ministry of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification, as announced by Minister. Luc Fortin last March.

The City of Sherbrooke will pay $10.6 million for the demolition of existing structures and the revitalization of the entire Grandes-fourches sector. The relocation of the Grandes-fourches Bridge will create a new neighborhood and restore the banks of the Saint-françois River to the public through the creation of a park.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2019.

(COURTESY VILLE DE SHERBROOKE) The design for the new Grandes-fourches Bridge is meant to evoke the area’s original Native inhabitants as well as the English and French settlers at the center of Sherbrooke’s history.