Montrealers line up for souvenir rivets from old Champlain Bridge

Montreal-area residents are lining up for the chance to own a little piece of the Champlain Bridge that connected the city and its South Shore for nearly 60 years.

As of 9:30 a.m. people were lining up in the rain on foot and in vehicles to get one of a few thousand rivets from the bridge that are being given away as keepsakes.

The original Champlain Bridge was decommissioned in 2019 when it was replaced by a new $4.4-billion span.

A spokeswoman for the federal Crown corporation that manages the old bridge says the structure played a major part in the economic development of both Montreal and its suburbs, even though it was plagued with issues in its final years.