Fonds consists of the professional papers of Jacques C. Beauchamp, a bridge engineer and later head of Structures for Public Works Canada. Fonds also includes Beauchamp’s articles and reports on bridge design, construction and appraisal plus articles and reports produced by his staff. There are files on the creation of the federal Place du Portage complex in Gatineau, Québec, 1958-1975, and federal bridges crossing the Ottawa River.
There are numerous files on the role of Public Works Canada in overseeing the feasibility and the bidding competition for a crossing of the Northumberland Strait between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick which resulted in the Confederation Bridge. Included is historical material from previous designs and the role of the federal government in building a crossing as well as feasibility studies by consultants and the first round of technical proposals for building a crossing.
Fonds also contains Beauchamp’s subject files on bridge types (cable-stayed, concrete, box girder etc.). Other subject files cover construction standards, environmental assessments, seismic events etc. There are prints and slides of interprovincial bridges, the construction of Olympic facilities in Calgary and specific bridge types.
The material is organized into six series: Personal; Public Works Canada; Northumberland Crossing Project; Bridge Subject Files; General Subject Files; and Photographs and Slides.
