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The bridge, with approaches, is approximately six kilometres in length. When the project began, the bridge was designated as the "Nuns' Island Bridge" because it crosses over Īle des Sœurs (Nuns' Island). In 1958, it was officially named the Champlain Bridge in honour of the explorer Samuel de Champlain who founded Quebec City in 1608.
The bridge project was undertaken in 1955 and construction proceeded between 1957 and 1962. The bridge carries six lanes of vehicle traffic, including a reserved bus lane. The bridge was opened to traffic in stages as the approaches were completed between June, 1962 and September, 1964. It was subsequently connected to the Bonaventure Expressway, which is part of the north approach to the bridge. The expressway was opened to traffic on April 21, 1967. Approximately 49 million vehicles cross the Champlain Bridge every year.
Just upstream from the bridge is an ice boom, the Champlain Bridge Ice Control Structure.