| Bras Saint-Nicolas | |
| Pushpin Map: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Chaudière-Appalaches |
| Subdivision Type4: | MRC |
| Subdivision Name4: | Montmagny Regional County Municipality |
| Source1: | Agricultural streams |
| Source1 Location: | Sainte-Apolline-de-Patton |
| Mouth: | Rivière du Sud (Montmagny) |
| Mouth Location: | Montmagny |
| Progression: | Rivière du Sud (Montmagny), St. Lawrence River |
| Tributaries Left: | (upstream) rivière des Perdrix, rivière des Gagnon, ruisseau Normand, ruisseau des Castors, ruisseau Aubert, ruisseau Guimont, Cloutier River, ruisseau Fortin |
| Tributaries Right: | (upstream) |
The Bras Saint-Nicolas (in English: Saint-Nicolas Arm) is a tributary of the south-eastern bank of the rivière du Sud (Montmagny), which flows north-east to the south bank of the St. Lawrence River.
The Bras Saint-Nicolas flows in the municipalities of Sainte-Apolline-de-Patton, Cap-Saint-Ignace, Saint-Cyrille-de-Lessard, Saint-Eugène, Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours and Montmagny, in the Montmagny Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Chaudière-Appalaches, in Quebec, in Canada.
The main neighboring watersheds of Bras Saint-Nicolas are:
The Bras Saint-Nicolas has its source at the confluence of the Méchant Pouce River and Fortin stream, in the municipality of Sainte-Apolline-de-Patton. This spring is located on the west side of the hamlet "L'Espérance", on the north slope of the Notre Dame Mountains.
From its source, the Bras Saint-Nicolas flows over, divided into the following segments:
Upper course of the river
Lower course of the river
The Bras Saint-Nicolas empties onto the south-eastern bank of the rivière du Sud (Montmagny). This confluence is located upstream from the route 132 bridge, downstream from the route 283 bridge, in the heart of the village of Montmagny.
In a lower segment, parallel to the St. Lawrence River, the Bras Saint-Nicolas meanders at an altitude of about fifteen meters, crossing a stronghold granted in 1672 to Nicolas Gamache by the intendant Jean Talon. A first hypothesis associates the origin of the toponym "Bras Saint-Nicolas" with this pioneer. Another hypothesis is rather referred to other to Nicolas Després, father of Geneviève Després whose husband, Louis Couillard de Lespinay, had bought the seigneury of Rivière-du-Sud in 1654 and 1655.
In 1802, the toponym “R. St. Nicholas' appears on a map by surveyor Samuel Holland. In 1803, the toponym appeared on a map of Vondenvelden with the generic Bras. In 1815, Joseph Bouchette also identified it by the same generic, a term used to designate a tributary or a subdivision of a watercourse.[1]
The toponym "Bras Saint-Nicolas" was made official on December 5, 1968, at the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[2]
| Sleepers | Photo | Municipality (ies) | Year of construction | Road | Length | Bridge type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge 05076 | Cap-Saint-Ignace | 1939 [3] | Route of Hope | Reinforced concrete girder bridge | ||
| Pierre-Noël Bridge | Saint-Cyrille-de-Lessard | 1952[4] | Route Pierre-Noël | Steel-timber bridge | ||
| Bernier Bridge | L'Islet | 1891 | Norman path | Bridge with intermediate steel deck | ||
| Fafard Bridge | L'Islet | 1966[5] | Lamartine Road West | Reinforced concrete girder bridge | ||
| Bridge 05075S | Cap-Saint-Ignace | 1966[6] | Highway 20 East | Steel girder bridge | ||
| Bridge 05075N | Cap-Saint-Ignace | 1970 | Highway 20 West | Steel girder bridge | ||
| Blanchet Bridge | Cap-Saint-Ignace | 1929 | Four-Chemins Road | Lower steel deck bridge | ||
| Bridge 13999 | Cap-Saint-Ignace | 1970 | Route du Petit-Cap | Precast prestressed concrete girder bridge | ||
| Bridge 05081 | Cap-Saint-Ignace | 1930 | Bellavance Road | Steel-wood bridge | ||
| Bridge 10810 | Montmagny | 1891 | Cloutier Street | Lower steel deck bridge | ||
| Railway bridge | Montmagny | Canadian National Railway | Steel girder bridge | |||
| Bridge 05131 | Montmagny | 1957 | Saint-Ignace Street | Reinforced concrete portal bridge | ||