43:, on Boulevard de la Concorde running over Autoroute 19. The collapsed section crushed two vehicles under it, killing five people and seriously injuring six others who went over the edge while travelling on the overpass. The north-lane half, along the same bridge, did not collapse. The autoroute was closed for almost four weeks, "disabling an important north-south link between
114:, suggests that this estimation of 70 years was inaccurate. They underestimated traffic volumes; they also did not take into account that "the amount and weight of trucks today's roadways are significantly higher". He noted, "30 or 40 years ago, engineers could not anticipate the traffic some of their bridges would be forced to accommodate in the coming decades".
349:, have increased scrutiny of Quebec's infrastructure and has led to increased efforts to detect signs of wear in aged structures. Accused of consistently putting off repairs to pass balanced budgets, the Quebec government has since increased spending on highways and projects and has increased infrastructure spending for future budgets.
353:
infrastructure using a long-term, holistic approach as well as life-cycle management guidelines", Marie Lemay the CEO of CCPE said. "Long-term adequate financial resources are needed from all levels of government in order to support a sustainable and planned approach over the full life cycle of any infrastructure project".
131:
Blois overpass adjacent to the collapsed overpass was confirmed as similar. Indeed, this overpass was built in the same construction project as the de la
Concorde overpass and was later found to have had the same flaws. It was closed to traffic less than three hours after the collapse and subsequently demolished.
262:" to increase ridership in the wake of the weekend collapse. Ontario's premier Dalton McGuinty - " tell me there has been an increase, fairly dramatic increase, in demand for the rail." Also "There's a rail line that runs along the site of the tragedy, and more and more people want to use that rail line".
151:
Normal traffic flows along
Autoroute 19 amount to 57,000 vehicles per day in both directions. The collapse caused some changes to these figures with motorists choosing different routes (mainly official detour routes), changing the time they left for work (earlier or later) or change in mode (to bus,
274:
to determine the cause of the collapse. Just over a year later, on
October 15, 2007, the Inquiry Commission released a report of its findings. This report recounts the events just before, during, and after the collapse, discusses the overpass design and history, identifies the cause of the collapse
97:
from the
Concorde Boulevard overpass above, a patroller was sent to do a sight and sound test to gauge whether the road should be closed and to clear away the concrete hazards; this was 30 minutes before the collapse. Neither roads were closed as the official concluded that the bridge presented no
360:
collapse, the Quebec department of transports issued a list of 135 overpasses that were considered potentially unsafe. These overpasses were put under close scrutiny and closed to all overweight trucks (in excess of 20 tonnes). Also, the City of
Montreal issued a list of a few overpasses under its
121:
Michel Després (Transport
Minister of Quebec) stated that it was inspected once a year, and got a more in-depth inspection once every three years, as per the usual inspection requirements in Quebec, last being May 2005. Ken Bontius, a civil/structural engineer at Hatch Mott MacDonald adds that the
160:
In response to the incident, the Quebec government instigated several strategies to speed the recovery effort and to minimise the inconvenience of commuters. The Quebec government made it a priority to rescue survivors, remove the dead and the debris from
Autoroute 19. The demolition work (of the
130:
After the collapse of the overpass, the government moved quickly to rescue survivors, remove the dead, and clear away the debris. The Ministère du
Transport du Québec (MTQ) immediately requested that any overpasses of similar design in Quebec be identified. Of several such overpasses, only the de
164:
The government also put detour routes in place, urged commuters to take public transport and to carpool. CAA-Quebec, a non-profit organisation also has urged commuters to consider carpooling as an alternative to driving, suggesting their free carpool ride-sharing program which allows drivers and
352:
This was welcome news to the
Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) as they had been campaigning for infrastructure renewal and maintenance. "Hopefully this tragic event did not happen in vain and we, as a society, will learn from it and make the conscious decision to re-invest in
206:"Laval's transit authority - the Société de transport de Laval - is asking for $ 312,500, for now. That's $ 12,000 for each of the 25 weekdays from October 2nd to November 3rd on which it provided extra services for commuters whose routes were affected by the collapse".
161:
Concorde
Boulevard) closed Autoroute 19 for a little under four weeks and caused "motorists get up earlier and use special buses to commute into the city". These buses were shuttles provided to ferry commuters between new park and ride sites and subway stations.
361:
own responsibility, citing that those were also under close scrutiny and closed to overweight traffic. The day after the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse, the City of Montreal revised its policies for one of those, the Henri-Bourassa overpass above
139:
The Monday (October 2) following the collapse, as everyone was trying to get to work, three major expressways into Montreal from Laval were gridlocked with vehicle line-ups stretching for kilometres. "Traffic was backed up as early as 6:00 am on
297:
During construction, the reinforcement was not put into the proper locations, as defined in the design, exacerbating the design weakness. The contractors and inspecting engineers were blamed by the commission for this
117:
The design of the overpass was considered innovative at the time; however, this design made it nearly impossible to inspect thoroughly, as the entire deck would have had to be removed for such an inspection.
35:, Canada, at midday on September 30, 2006. On that Saturday, around 12:30 pm, the centre section of the south lane of an overpass (65-foot or 19.8-metre section of a three-lane overpass) collapsed in
109:
The overpass on the Boulevard de la Concorde (Concorde Boulevard) was built in 1970 and was expected to have a life span of 70 years, of which it only lasted 36. David Lau, as part of an article for the
287:. This was due to a horizontal plane fracture that had slowly grown over the years. The fracture allowed the part of the abutment below it to break away from the part above, causing the collapse.
98:
immediate danger. The patroller however did demand that an inspection be carried out as soon as possible, but was told "that an inspector would show up only on Monday, two days later".
925:
816:
1239:
1094:
1249:
1244:
101:
The Ministry also sent out messages to journalists and traffic reporters warning of the concrete debris; this was confirmed by Josée Seguin, a spokeswoman for the Ministry.
80:
that they had called police up to an hour before the collapse to report seeing fissures appearing in the overpass roadbed and chunks of concrete falling to the road below".
949:
66:
Carole Hackenbeck, less than a month before the collapse, noticed that there were "unusually large gaps and misaligned spacing in the deck-support structure underneath".
1180:
1003:
979:
840:
739:
275:
as well as other contributing factors, suggests who is directly responsible for the collapse, and makes recommendations to prevent such an event from recurring.
675:
346:
165:
passengers to network to organise carpools. Transit authorities in Laval and Montreal also increased services on some routes to accommodate more commuters:
305:, causing poor freeze-thaw behavior. This was blamed on poor communication at all levels, including that of the government-defined requirements at the time
180:
Extra park-and-ride parking lots including a free bus shuttle to subway stations - to encourage commuters to not use the already overtaxed detour routes
73:
that he noticed the road had sunk an inch or two when he travelled over the overpass minutes before the collapse, and he called emergency dispatchers".
294:
During design, the steel reinforcement was concentrated in one layer, causing a weak plane. This did not contravene the code provisions of the time.
885:
550:
933:
824:
1102:
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368:
As of April 2008, 28 bridges in Quebec are slated to be demolished due to structural deficiencies, and 25 are to receive major repairs.
199:
63:"People living near de la Concorde and Highway 19 told The Gazette they had noticed the overpass had begun to crumble in recent months"
1069:
763:
864:
1264:
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1027:
960:
1137:
330:
Claude Robert, president of Acier d'Armature de Montreal (AAM), for poor quality control caused by passing off responsibilities
313:
All thick reinforced concrete slabs should have shear reinforcing, and this is a deficiency in the existing bridge design code.
716:
1045:
357:
365:, closing it completely to all trucks. This overpass has since been demolished and replaced with an at-grade intersection.
788:
1229:
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987:
848:
237:
1011:
747:
679:
957:
Association of Professional Engineers of Prince Edward Island (APEPEI) Newsletter October - November 2006 Issue
327:
Marcel Dubois, engineer with Desjardins Sauriol et Associés (DSA), for improper supervision during construction
319:
Extensive concrete removal and rebar exposure caused during the 1992 repairs caused weakening of the structure.
1219:
1167:
1172:
309:
Three other contributing causes were identified by the committee, but not agreed to by all the experts.
323:
The final report names four individuals who were responsible for unprofessional work on the overpass:
90:
545:
232:
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145:
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94:
24:
77:
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To aid Laval commuters, and to help the province cope with traffic problems, Ontario donated a "
797:
782:
48:
202:, about the transport department suing Transport Quebec to pay for all these extra services:
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271:
247:
242:
194:
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906:
283:
The commissioners agreed that the overpass collapsed due to shear failure in the southeast
554:
316:
Proper waterproofing was never installed, even during the bridge repairs done in 1992.
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36:
1145:
1118:
70:
1053:
336:
Christian Mercier, engineer, for an incomplete inspection of the overpass in 2004
174:
1195:
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798:"Notice to motorists - Why not try carpooling? A reminder from CAA-Quebec"
1002:
Lunau, K.; Coates, A.; Banerjee, S.; Branswell, B. (September 30, 2006),
890:
869:
817:"Highway north of Montreal where overpass collapsed re-opened to traffic"
302:
284:
259:
44:
40:
28:
59:
A number of people had noticed that the overpass was not in good shape:
198:
transit journalist Andy Riga (2006) interviewed Marc LaForge, from the
170:
333:
Tiona Sanogo, engineer, for the damage caused during the 1992 repairs
32:
290:
The three main causes of the fracture and subsequent collapse were:
980:"Former Quebec premier to head inquiry into fatal freeway collapse"
76:
Also, "several motorists told the French-language all-news network
886:"Ontario offers Quebec a Go train to ease post-collapse traffic"
186:
Adding 6 km (3.5 mi) to two high-frequency bus routes
449:
740:"Failure highlights aging infrastructure, critics contend"
122:
bridge was examined bi-annually by structural engineers.
93:
was contacted regarding blocks of concrete falling onto
907:"Montreal bridge collapse: A case of criminal neglect"
270:
On October 3, 2006, the Government of Quebec called a
950:"Engineers Call for Sustained Infrastructure Funding"
547:
Report of the Commission of inquiry into the collapse
508:
396:
436:
865:"Morning commuter gridlock after overpass collapse"
926:"Crews examining site of deadly overpass collapse"
177:commuter rail to assist with higher rider numbers)
356:In July 2007, incidentally just weeks before the
1095:"Laval bills Quebec for overpass collapse costs"
1028:"Quebec launches inquiry into overpass collapse"
770:, archived from the original on January 15, 2013
210:Costs also included paying overtime to drivers.
618:
605:
1240:Bridge disasters caused by construction error
717:"Quebec to destroy 28 bridges, repair others"
420:
8:
1250:Bridge disasters caused by maintenance error
1245:Bridge disasters caused by engineering error
218:The official detour routes were as follows:
1026:Marotte, B.; Magder, J. (October 2, 2006),
678:. The Commission of inquiry. Archived from
1136:The Associated Press (October 2, 2006b),
1117:The Associated Press (October 1, 2006a),
1046:"Five hurt in Canadian overpass collapse"
839:CanWest News Service (December 3, 2006),
662:
592:
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528:
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47:and its northern suburbs as well as the
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585:
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381:
301:A low quality concrete was used in the
152:metro, etc.) being the main responses.
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649:
567:
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431:
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391:
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169:An extra commuter train (on loan from
16:2006 highway bridge collapse in Canada
1138:"Inquiry into Canadian road collapse"
1119:"Canada overpass collapse kills five"
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1070:"Canadian overpass collapse kills 5"
744:CanWest News Service, Ottawa Citizen
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477:
475:
473:
471:
815:Canadian Press (October 26, 2006),
796:Canada NewsWire (October 6, 2006),
1076:, October 2, 2006b, archived from
1052:, October 1, 2006a, archived from
105:Bridge history and design problems
14:
841:"Parts of Quebec bridge fall off"
347:similar overpass collapse in 2000
802:ArriveNet Business Press Release
764:"GO trains to ease Quebec chaos"
738:Arseniuk, K. (October 2, 2006),
21:De la Concorde overpass collapse
1004:"Dust settles, questions arise"
905:Charron, G. (October 6, 2006),
1093:Riga, A. (November 14, 2006),
762:Artuso, A. (October 4, 2006),
358:I-35W Mississippi River bridge
254:Donations from other provinces
1:
978:Lunau, K. (October 2, 2006),
884:CBC News (October 3, 2006b),
863:CBC News (October 2, 2006a),
200:Société de transport de Laval
1099:Montreal Gazette; Canada.com
984:Montreal Gazette; Canada.com
959:, p. 14, archived from
924:CTV News (October 2, 2006),
845:Montreal Gazette; Canada.com
91:Quebec Ministry of Transport
768:Toronto Sun, Cnews.canoe.ca
557:, October 7, 2006, page 53.
183:Reserved bus lanes extended
1281:
1255:Transport in Laval, Quebec
1235:Bridge disasters in Canada
509:The Associated Press 2006b
397:The Associated Press 2006a
23:occurred at a bridge over
787:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
437:CanWest News Service 2006
421:Marotte & Magder 2006
1265:History of Laval, Quebec
1260:2006 disasters in Canada
1196:45.583500°N 73.6752611°W
911:World Socialist Web Site
345:This event, and another
1168:Autoroute 19 Detour Map
1008:The Gazette; Canada.com
1201:45.583500; -73.6752611
1173:Public inquiry website
208:
71:TVA television network
1014:on September 29, 2007
966:on September 29, 2007
676:"PRESS RELEASE No. 2"
553:July 6, 2011, at the
272:commission of inquiry
204:
619:Canada NewsWire 2006
1230:2006 road incidents
1225:Disasters in Quebec
1192: /
1088:– via Reuters
1064:– via Reuters
990:on November 2, 2007
851:on November 2, 2007
606:Canadian Press 2006
135:Behavioural effects
25:Quebec Autoroute 19
1142:National Nine News
948:Evans, D. (2006),
85:Responses to calls
78:Le Canal Nouvelles
69:"One witness told
55:Immediately before
450:Lunau et al. 2006
279:Determined causes
49:Laurentian region
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723:. April 9, 2008.
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363:Pie IX Boulevard
266:Official inquiry
195:Montreal Gazette
156:Agency responses
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1162:External links
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1187:73°40′30.94″W
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1148:on 2008-04-07
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529:Arseniuk 2006
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463:Reuters 2006a
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238:Autoroute 440
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126:The aftermath
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46:
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26:
22:
1177:
1152:November 21,
1150:, retrieved
1146:the original
1141:
1126:, retrieved
1122:
1109:November 18,
1107:, retrieved
1103:the original
1098:
1084:November 21,
1082:, retrieved
1078:the original
1073:
1060:November 21,
1058:, retrieved
1054:the original
1049:
1035:, retrieved
1031:
1018:November 18,
1016:, retrieved
1012:the original
1007:
994:November 10,
992:, retrieved
988:the original
983:
970:November 18,
968:, retrieved
961:the original
956:
940:November 21,
938:, retrieved
934:the original
929:
914:, retrieved
910:
895:, retrieved
889:
874:, retrieved
868:
853:, retrieved
849:the original
844:
829:, retrieved
825:the original
820:
807:November 18,
805:, retrieved
801:
772:, retrieved
767:
752:, retrieved
748:the original
743:
730:
729:
720:
711:
684:. Retrieved
680:the original
670:
657:
644:
613:
600:
546:
503:
496:Charron 2006
490:
457:
444:
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257:
233:Autoroute 40
228:Autoroute 15
223:Autoroute 25
217:
209:
205:
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192:
163:
159:
150:
146:Autoroute 15
142:Autoroute 25
138:
129:
120:
116:
111:
108:
100:
95:Autoroute 19
88:
58:
20:
18:
1199: /
1184:45°35′0.6″N
1128:November 3,
1123:Denver Post
1037:November 3,
916:October 30,
897:December 7,
876:December 7,
855:December 7,
754:November 8,
650:Artuso 2006
1214:Categories
831:January 3,
821:Canada.com
774:January 3,
704:Evans 2006
686:2008-01-11
483:Lunau 2006
372:References
189:More buses
175:GO Transit
637:Riga 2006
303:abutments
248:Route 148
243:Route 335
89:When the
891:CBC News
870:CBC News
783:citation
721:CBC News
551:Archived
285:abutment
260:GO Train
45:Montreal
41:Montreal
29:Montreal
731:Sources
171:Ontario
930:CTV.ca
298:cause.
33:Quebec
964:(PDF)
953:(PDF)
377:Notes
37:Laval
27:near
1154:2006
1130:2006
1111:2006
1086:2006
1062:2006
1039:2006
1020:2006
996:2006
972:2006
942:2006
918:2006
899:2006
878:2006
857:2006
833:2007
809:2006
789:link
776:2007
756:2006
144:and
19:The
173:'s
148:".
51:".
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781:{{
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695:^
626:^
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384:^
31:,
791:)
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