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Slowly, Please!

Black and white photograph of the entrance to the Plessis-Bélair Bridge. The name of the bridge and the words “pont à péage / toll bridge” are written on an arch. A security guard stands in front of the toll booth.

Centre d’archives de Laval, P79 Fonds Germain Beauchamp, Plessis-Bélair Bridge P79/A03.131, circa 1940

After the Porteous Bridge was destroyed, a new wooden bridge was built in 1854. The Plessis-Bélair Bridge was named in honour of the family that came to own it in 1857. It operated until 1946. Users had to pay a toll, but the amount depended on the vehicle. Around 1930, a horse-drawn wagon was charged 12½ cents one way, while a two-ton truck had to pay 37½ cents. When the provincial government took over in 1940, it promised to eliminate the toll. This electoral promise was never kept, and the bridge was demolished in 1946.