Feds award money to repair Des Joachims bridge on the Ottawa

Construction will cause periodic closures through summer months

by Guillaume Laflamme

Rapides des joachims

May 7, 2024

The Government of Canada has awarded $1.2 million to contractor Groupe Lapalme to repair and upgrade the bridge that crosses the Ottawa River to MRC Pontiac’s western-most municipality, Rapides des Joachims.

The repairs are set to begin on May 27, and will force routine closures of the bridge until the construction work finishes Aug. 10.

“It’s unfortunate it’s happening in the summer during our busiest time for tourists,” said Rapides des Joachims mayor Lucie Rivet Paquette. “But realistically, it’s understandable.”

Mayor Paquette explained that with the exception of a logging road north of the town, the bridge is the only road connecting the town, situated on an island in the Ottawa River, to the rest of the region.

“It’s the only bridge we have [ . . . ] to go anywhere, to do groceries, banking, doctors,” she said.

“The bridge represents a valuable link between the community of Rapides-des-Joachims and its neighboring communities, and is of critical importance to the economic and tourism vitality of our beautiful region,” said Pontiac MP Sophie Chatel in a press release.

Groupe Lapalme will replace the bridge guide rails and traffic signs, repair broken concrete on the Ontario pier, and replace the masonry ballast wall with a new concrete wall.

During the construction, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., the bridge will be closed for 15-minute periods, followed by five-minute openings. Between 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., the bridge will close for 55-minute periods, followed by five-minute openings.