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
3 comments:
Cement trucks were coming out of the Olympic Stadium site as full as when they entered. I know of a few neighborhoods in Chateauguay where all the foundations, patios, etc, were filled in with Big Owe concrete. People like to dream that somehow that was another time, that it's not like that anymore. Well, until you bust some big fish the game will never change, just like the only time our houses of parliament seem to agree on anything is when it's time to vote themselves a raise! Turcot is a huge red light and the Quebec government is still capable of telling us it will only cost 3 billion with a straight face. Add 30% off the top for your basic just sayin hello corruption charges. Then you have to enter the intangibles like no way these guys can keep their hands out of the cookie jar on a job that will take at least 6 years. Add another 30%. Then you get your basic construction strike (remember the Big Owe and all the pride that didn't go into building that) and you might as well add another 30%. One of the great phenomenons of our age is how they can build a private housing project in record time, but important large scale public projects almost by definition will fall way behind schedule (full employment of course). Add another 30%. And on it goes. So before anyone even picks up a shovel (and it's a construction union shovel dag nab it, tabernacle!) we know this sucker is going to cost over 7 Billion. Then the real corruption kicks in!
Ken McLaughlin
I agree with this part of your thoughts inparticular: & I almost wonder if people really believe that LaBelle Province hasn't operated this way for all of my life & certainly all of the lives I've read about.
....Other provinces have emulated LaBelle Province & I have witnessed,what Ibelieve to be BC's strive for exellence in corruption on par with my home province...........they have no doubt done a great job here,.....but I still have allegiance to Quebec's abiltiy to lead in all areas of corruption,/////giving us goals to'strive for'..........but we are a close 2nd,...if not first at times in blatant BullsHiitt.........................hahahahaha "Je me souviens" (sp?)
ps: Folks if you live in Canada ,get out & vote on May 2nd ,regardless of who you vote for,it is important that you cast your ballot------------------------------Cheers !! HF&RV
like they used to say in the old days " Vote Early & Vote Often"................hahahahaha
lol, at least they are working hard at it, Les!
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