Structural flaw closes Montreal's Bleury overpass
Rush-hour traffic moves along smoothly despite shutdown
Last Updated: Friday, September 14, 2007 | 5:45 PM ET
CBC News
A busy downtown overpass was closed Friday afternoon by the Quebec Ministry of Transport after engineers found a structural flaw during inspection.
The Bleury overpass that spans the Ville-Marie expressway is closed between Viger and Saint-Antoine streets until at least the end of the weekend.
Traffic in the area was minimally affected by the closure Friday afternoon despite the overpass’s central location.
The Ville-Marie will remain open until midnight Friday. However, the westbound lane will remain closed until 10 a.m. ET Saturday to allow engineers to work on the overpass’s underbelly.
Engineers recommended closing the overpass after tests revealed the concrete structure has weakened to the point its ability to bear weight could be compromised. The tests also found a concrete slab without a supporting metal bar.
Heavy trucks had already been banned from the roadway, but given its location in the heart of downtown Montreal, it would be too difficult to enforce the rule so transport officials decided to shut it down completely, a spokesperson said.
The Ville-Marie expressway divides the downtown quarter from Old Montreal.
The overpass is on the list of 135 structures flagged for inspection because of its similarity to the Concorde overpass in Laval, which collapsed last September, killing five people.
A provincial commission investigating the collapse urged the Ministry of Transport earlier this summer to inspect dozens of other structures built in a similar fashion.
Former premier Pierre Marc Johnson, who is leading the commission, is expected to produce a report on the collapse later this fall.
