MONTREAL - Cracks on a Turcot Interchange ramp causing traffic headaches that will go on for months were caused by a problem involving crucial reinforcement steel, Transport Quebec said Thursday.
But a spokesperson would not confirm a report in La Presse that said some required steel was left out of a section of the interchange.
When it was built in the mid-1960s,“the steel bars were not placed according to the blueprints, but that didn’t interfere with safety” over the years, said Mario St-Pierre of Transport Quebec.
Cracks were detected during a routine inspection, prompting Transport Quebec to reduce the load on the interchange by shutting one of two lanes on a one-kilometre ramp linking the westbound Ville Marie Expressway to Highway 20.
When the problem was discovered April 15, Transport Quebec referred only to cracks. The steel deficiency emerged as the cause when La Presse reported it. St-Pierre said all the facts were not disclosed April 15 because inspections were continuing at the time.
St-Pierre said Transport Quebec has decided not to divulge whether the steel was installed incorrectly or was left out. “I can’t get into that kind of detail,” he said.
The affected area is “a few metres long.” An evaluation of the ramp continues, but St-Pierre said he did not know if inspections will involve checking other sections of the ramp to determine whether the steel flaw affects a bigger area.
Until the extent of the problem is determined, Transport Quebec won’t know how long it will take to fix the ramp. But St-Pierre said it’s clear the lane will have to remain closed for months.
Bad construction was common during Montreal’s highway building spree in the 1960s.
The Johnson Commission into the 2006 de la Concorde overpass collapse found almost every aspect of the Laval’s viaduct’s construction was faulty. Design, workmanship, concrete and supervision were all of poor quality on the overpass, built in 1969.
St-Pierre said the Turcot cannot be compared to the de le Concorde overpass since “we can thoroughly inspect (Turcot), and it’s not so thick. It’s available for us to see from the top, the bottom, the side.”
He said the steel problem was not detected earlier because the ramp “was performing to expectations.”
The inspections that uncovered the crack that led to the discovery of the steel situation are part of regular surveillance of the Turcot. “This is the most closely watched infrastructure in the whole of Quebec,” St-Pierre said.
The ramp is used by 37,000 cars daily. The lane closing is causing major traffic jams, sometimes several kilometres long on the Ville Marie.
It’s a key route for West Island commuters and for people travelling between downtown and Trudeau Airport. No extra buses or commuter trains have been put in place during the lane closure.
Transport Quebec suggests users take the Bonaventure Autoroute or St. Patrick St. as a detour to reach Highway 20.
.I doubt more evidence is needed to prove just how corrupt the construction industry in Quebec really is,they have been at the forefront in the last year or so of court revelations of just how much payola was done to acquire Big Govt' contracts....and guess what is it really any surprise ,we've all known for years that if you want things done...Pay Someone......& then make it up on shortcuts in the building process..lol
Cheers !! HF&RV
