Gribblenation

One of the vital links between the island of Montreal and its South Shore suburban communities, the 3.4 kilometer (2.11 mile) long Samuel de Champlain Bridge (or commonly known as the Champlain Bridge) carries Autoroutes 10, 15 and 20 across the St. Lawrence River between Nun's Island (Île des Sœurs) and Brossard. But the famed river crossing has a storied and tumultuous history, which over time has led to the construction of a replacement bridge. On August 17, 1955, George Marler, the Canadian Minister of Transport at the time, announced that a toll bridge would be built over Île des Sœurs to the South Shore. At the time, the National Harbours Board (a since-departed Canadian federal agency) was put in charge of construction of the Champlain Bridge project, as well as the federal portions of Autoroute 15 and the Bonaventure Expressway. At first, the bridge was called the "Nun's Island Bridge," since it crossed over Île Saint-Paul, which was also known as Île des...

This week's Throwback Thursday takes us to La belle province, or Quebec to the lay person. Heading east from Montreal through the Eastern Townships to Sherbrooke is Autoroute 10. At one time, Quebec had blue road signs instead of green road signs along their autoroutes. By the time I visited this part of Quebec in May 2008, the blue signs had been phased out, but there were a few signs that could still be found scattered around the province. So it was a real treat to find this blue Autoroute 10 sign with another blast from the past, an Autoroute des Cantons l'Est shield on QC 112 eastbound near Magog, Quebec.