Pont Champagne Explained

Pont Champagne
Coordinates:48.2147°N -77.8425°W
Carries:Road Bridge
Crosses:Rivière Vassan
Locale:Val-d'Or, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, Canada
Design:Town lattice
Material:Wood
Length:32m
Width:7m
Clearance:4.45m
Open:1941

The pont Champagne is a covered bridge that crosses the Rivière Vassan near the municipality of Val-d'Or in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, Canada.[1]

It is named after an early pioneer, Hervé Champagne.[2] It was painted red in the 1980s, having been grey since the '60s. In 1989 and metal support pillar was added.[1]

The single-lane bridge is of Lattice truss bridge design. This design was modified by the Quebec Ministry of Colonisation and was used for more than 500 covered bridges in Quebec. Thirty-four covered bridges were built in Abitibi, during the colonisation of the region.[3] Today fewer than half of them are extant.

The weight capacity is 12 tonnes. It is cited in the Quebec Cultural Heritage Directory since 2001 but does not benefit from any municipal protection.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pont Champagne . Les ponts couverts au Québec . 28 October 2020 . fr-FR.
  2. Web site: Pont Champagne . - Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec . Government of Quebec . 28 October 2020.
  3. Web site: Arbour. Gérald-Encyclopédie du patrimoine culturel de l'Amérique Française. Ponts couverts au Québec. 2020-10-21. www.ameriquefrancaise.org. fr.
  4. Web site: Pont Alphonse-Normandin. 2020-10-28. www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca.