Major projects
Faced with increasing trade and cargo volumes, the Port of Montreal is adapting to the demands of its stakeholders and striving to continually improve its efficiency and performance, as well as its harmonious integration into the urban fabric. Several major projects continued throughout the year, with a focus on quality of service and sustainability within a long-term vision to ensure the future of trade for the entire region.
The Port of Montreal's Contrecœur expansion
At the forefront of the Port of Montreal's projects for the future, the huge expansion project in Contrecoeur is taking shape more and more tangibly, and 2021 was a pivotal year.
- A project supported by the governments of Quebec and Canada
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One of the milestones reached last year was a favourable decision by Canada's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, after five years of consultations and analysis by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. As a result, the MPA can continue to develop the future terminal in light of the terms and conditions adopted by the Minister. The Quebec government, for its part, expressed its support for the project by granting $55 million in financial assistance.
- An international Request for Proposals
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The project's Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM) Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued and opened to national and international industry players. Launching this RFQ signalled that the MPA aimed to find the best possible strategic partnership to meet the project's high standards of innovation, efficiency, social responsibility and sustainability. The goal remains to enter into a long-term agreement to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Contrecœur Terminal.
"It's a major challenge to work on a huge project like Contrecoeur, and it's a pleasure to do it as a team. We have to juggle technical challenges, an ambitious schedule, environmental issues and budgets, so we’re combining innovation, efficiency, the environment and safety. We see the project come to life. We develop it from the preliminary phases to completion. And we see the usefulness it will have, the jobs it will create and the value it represents for the community, through everything we export and import."
- Arabia Koromakan, Manager, Construction Engineering Contrecœur
Increased rail capacity
Planned in phases through to November 2023, this major project involves installing an additional six kilometres of rail track to improve the flow of goods. Phase 1 was completed in 2021, and included sewer and water works, piling, installation of a retaining wall, electrical work, track construction and paving.
Bickerdike
The year 2021 marked the successful completion of Bickerdike Terminal’s redevelopment.
Originally built in 1896, Bickerdike Terminal is the main provisioning port for Newfoundland and the Magdalen Islands, supplied exclusively by local companies. It handles close to 600,000 tonnes of diversified cargo (containers, cars, tractor-trailers, etc.) annually in addition to serving cruise ships.
The project works, which began in 2019, included redeveloping truck access (traffic flow and security), increasing and upgrading electrical capacity, replacing buildings, redeveloping container and cargo storage areas, and redeveloping handling areas for cruise ships.
"I really like the specificity of marine and river engineering. We build in water, so there are many parameters to factor in, such as the current, the environment, the operations that continue during the work, navigation and, above all, safety. There's no room for error! We have docks that date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which are very sturdy and still hold up, but which of course need to be reinforced, maintained in good condition and adapted to changing vessels and equipment."
— Nora Menasria, Engineer
Overpass
The Port of Montreal overpass will directly connect Port facilities to the future road link to Souligny Avenue, removing port trucks from the local network and increasing the fluidity of freight transport. This project includes architectural integration, an artistic component from the Molinari Foundation and landscaping. The overpass will open at the end of 2022.
The first phase of work involved building the foundations of the overpass on the north and south sides of Notre-Dame Street, as well as installing the steel structure (box girders) over the street. To ensure transparency and harmonious cohabitation, a public meeting was held to explain the project to the neighbouring population.
Port of Montreal Tower
The last major step in the vast Alexandra Pier rehabilitation project that began in 2014, construction of the Port of Montreal Tower advanced at a rapid pace over the course of 2021. One of Montreal's future must-see attractions, catering to Montrealers and tourists alike, the 65-metre high tower should open to the public in 2022. The concept focuses on the link between the port, the river and the city, the panoramic view of the city and the value of showcasing the role of the Port of Montreal in the history and development of the metropolis.
Milestones achieved over the past year included finishing the tower’s interior and partition glass glazing and exterior work that included the wooden deck with landscaping and tree planting.