Monday, February 14, 2011

A Chip Off the Old Block !! or Champlain Bridge is Falling Down,Falling Down,Champla.......well you get it.

              Seems all of Quebec's infrastructure is becomming suspect.........as a motorist get's lucky (or unlucky) when a chunk of concrete air-conditions the roof of his car.....Yikes!!A motorist escaped injury Monday when a concrete chunk fall off the Champlain Bridge.

A St. Constant driver had the scare of his life earlier Monday when a 40-centimetre slab of concrete fell from an overpass on Highway 132 near the south side of the Champlain Bridge and smashed his windshield.

The accident happened around 12:30 p.m. as the driver was heading west near the access road to Highway 10, said Caroline Larose, a spokesperson for Transports Québec.

The concrete chunk ended up on the passenger seat, the driver did not lose control of the car, and he called police.

The concrete came from the section that holds the guardrails on the ramp, and was not part of the infrastructure that sustains the bridge, Larose said.

The bridge’s main load-bearing beams are made of steel, she reported.

However, two of three westbound lanes on the 132 were closed as two teams of departmental technicians were sent to inspect the structure to ensure it is safe, Larose said. One lane remains open.

“We’re grateful that nobody

4 comments:

john allison said...

Well there isn't enough money for the politicians to pocket, and fix the bridges. There are priorities. And we know where those priorities lie... In the fur lined pockets of the scumbag politicians.....

Les F said...

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. ~Plato


We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. ~Aesop

Cheers !! HF&RV

Ken McLaughlin said...

It's easy to forget how solidly these things were built. These bridges have been running over capacity for decades which is a tribute to the original engineers. A big part of the problem has been maintenance with various governments cutting back slowly. Then you spend a fortune constantly doing patch jobs. Makes little sense until you remember that politicians only live in 4 year increments and can call low maintenance, "cutting costs", and doing patch jobs, "creating jobs". I tell ya, the ol man on the street gets taken for an idiot, and for the most part that's exactly what he is for ever putting an x on a piece of paper in support of these bastards. And that's all I got to say about that! :)

Ken McLaughlin

Les F said...

Ken I have to laugh,your statement reminds me of a couple of things, one is something my oldman used to say (don't know where he heard it) but
'In this world there are only two types of men"
"Lion Tamers" & "Lying Bastards"...........................hahahahaha HF&RV
As for the Champlain Bridge being around for decades,that may be so,However there are buildigs in Montreal that have been around for centuries,.....and the Victoria Bridge for at least 130 years or so(I think longer but don't recall off hand)
The 60's brought about great infrastructure programs & mega building with Champlain Bridge , Bonaventure Expressway, Turcot Interchange.etc etc ,......Much Moola was made by construction companies, & much more moola sailed out the door to everyone you can think of ,the least of which were 'Inspectors' which is code for 'bagman'...............hahahahaha Shortcutting was the name of the game in the day,with overcharging etc etc ,...and You are absolutely right ,when you say the Govt's all along have negelcted (in the way of better maintenance) every project built ,knowing full well another group down the road will put together the public again for a new project & the people will pay again,
I always have to laugh wnen the politician of the day stands at the 'Opening Cermonies' of some of these projects wearing a hardhat & cuts a ribbon,.the thieving _ricks (the P is silent like in Psalm) should be made to stand under Turcot Yards & the Bridge 50 years later wearing No Hardhat........hahahahaha Cheers !! HF&RV