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Pedestrians and cyclists will be barred from the Ice Control Structure, just south of the Champlain Bridge, until next spring while a new bike and pedestrian path is built.

Starting Monday, a free shuttle service will be available to traverse the bridge. The service will be available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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Popular with in-line skaters and cyclists, the structure runs from Nuns’ Island, adjacent to the Champlain Bridge, and ends at a strip of land between the St. Lawrence Seaway and the river. That strip leads to the Victoria Bridge and Jean Drapeau Park to the east, and the Récré-O-Parc and beach in the town of Ste-Catherine to the west.

In recent years, the structure — originally built to break up ice floes before they hit the Champlain Bridge — has been used by trucks and buses to transport crews and equipment working on reinforcing the aging bridge.

However, this year the structure is also being used by crews and equipment to construct the new Champlain Bridge. Because of the increased traffic, the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc., the federal corporation that oversees the structure, has deemed it will be unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians.

The new path will be on the outside of the current structure; it will be three metres wide and covered with anti-slip pavement, which the corporation says will be winter compatible.

The bridge will be reinforced to be able to handle increased capacity.

jmagder@montrealgazette.com

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