441-02023 (Transportation)

Since the outset of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor project, the Government of Canada has prioritized ensuring that residents living in the areas surrounding the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor are able to peacefully enjoy their properties. Noise management and reductions have been important for both Infrastructure Canada (INFC) and its private partner, Signature on the Saint Lawrence Group (SSL), in both the construction phase and in the operations phase.

As a result, from 2012 to 2014, before the beginning of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor project, an environmental evaluation was performed in order to establish a baseline for the Project Agreement. This assessment was able to:

•    Determine the noise impacts of the project;

•    Identify noise sensitive areas;

•    Create a series of baseline pre-project noise levels to measure against.

The Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor project is being delivered as a public-private partnership between the Government of Canada, represented by INFC, and the private partner, SSL. The two parties are bound by the New Bridge for the St. Lawrence Project Agreement, signed on June 16, 2015 for the design, construction, financing, operating, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the corridor (Project Agreement). 

INFC is the project authority responsible for the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor project. The department is responsible for ensuring compliance of the Project Agreement, notably in the areas of environmental protection and the related performance criteria therein, in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada, who is the contracting authority for the project. INFC oversees and measures the quality of work carried out by SSL, particularly in terms of environmental studies, and identifies any deficiencies that require correction.

SSL is responsible for the design, construction, financing, operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor project. SSL is also responsible for controlling and measuring the quality of work required in the Project Agreement and to make any corrections to deficiencies as needed. Any corrections performed must adhere to the standard set out in the Project Agreement. 

SSL is contractually obligated to take noise level measurements at 1, 5, and 10 years following the opening of the bridge to ensure that noise levels are in line with the requirements of the Project Agreement. Road vehicle counts are also performed to ensure the sound prediction model is accurate. 

The Project Agreement stipulates a minimum intervention threshold for sound to evaluate the effectiveness of sound barriers and, once triggered, requires that corrective measures be put in place once an acoustic issue is detected. SSL is responsible for modifying or replacing any and all noise abatement barriers deemed insufficient for the required noise levels.

The work done by SSL and INFC is carried out using professional equipment such as sound meters in accordance with the parameters set out in the Ministère des Transports du Québec’s Methodological Guide related to noise pollution studies for existing road infrastructure. This is done over a 24 hour period to obtain data that is truly representative of the noise in a given area.

Noise levels must be measured based on the following conditions:

•    Over a 24 hour period within previously identified sensitive areas;

•    1.5m from the ground and 3.5m from buildings;

•    In favourable weather conditions (no precipitation, wind speeds below 20km/h); and

•    In conditions where all other sources of noise are filtered out.

Improvements to Noise Abatement Barriers:

In fall 2023, SSL developed an action plan to improve the noise levels for residents living close to highway A15, which respects the noise criteria defined in the Project Agreement. 

The work, which was done between November 17 and December 22, 2023, included removing existing noise abatement barriers and replacing them with new, thicker, and more acoustically absorbent barriers. Furthermore, the height of the barriers was increased, as per SSL’s acoustic modelling, while maintaining the placement and configuration of the panels and respecting urban integration directives which call for both opaque and transparent panels. 

In 2024, a follow-up noise measurement campaign will be undertaken to determine the effectiveness of the new noise abatement barriers. The results will be analyzed and shared with elected officials and the general public.

INFC and SSL both have the public’s wellbeing at heart and place a high importance on communication with different stakeholders and citizens.

As such, neighbourhood committees and other forums were held on a regular basis during the construction period whereby the progress of the work was discussed, but also where updates on the project were provided regularly, including information related to noise barriers. 

In addition to the neighbourhood committees, INFC and SSL have worked and continue to work hand in hand with various partners located around the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor, most notably the City of Montréal, to coordinate different projects and respond to challenges that arise. When necessary, meetings or communications can take place with elected officials or the general public. 

Finally, INFC and SSL are always available to respond to questions, requests for information, and concerns through several different methods, including our respective Websites (Samuel de Champlain Bridge - Infrastructure Canada) and SSL’s call centre (514-360-8181).