Cap-Rouge trestle, Railway bridge in Cap-Rouge, Canada
The Cap-Rouge trestle is a steel railway trestle bridge spanning the Rivière du Cap Rouge valley. It stands 173 feet (53 m) high, making it one of the tallest structures in Quebec on which trains operate. The bridge carries a single track on a series of steel trestle supports.
Commissioned in 1906 as part of the National Transcontinental Railway, the trestle was built by the Dominion Bridge Company. Foundation work in 1906 proved difficult due to the unstable riverbed, requiring pressurized caissons. The collapse of the Quebec Bridge in 1907 removed the urgency; rails were laid between 1908 and 1911, and the viaduct opened in 1913.
Quebec French turned the old French word trestel into tressel, then tracel, the local name for a trestle bridge; Rue du Tracel in old Cap-Rouge was named after the viaduct in 1985. Residents' opinions on its looks are divided, and some say that since they must live with it, they may as well find it beautiful.
Today freight trains cross the bridge at reduced speeds and monitoring systems are in place for safety. Visitors can view the structure from below in the valley or from the riverbanks.
The construction required special foundations because the ground near the riverbanks was unstable, so certain supports sit on caissons. This unusual building method shows how engineers handled difficult ground conditions at that time.
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