The Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel, considers it “unacceptable” not to have been informed earlier of the report signed by two government engineers showing a “significant and accelerated decrease” in the resistance of the suspension lines of the Pierre-Laporte bridge, in Quebec . He promises work to consolidate these lines this summer.
Posted at 10:05 a.m.
In fact, the elected official says he “learned of the existence” of this report on Tuesday, just before the publication of the report from the show. Investigationwho first brought this mysterious case to light.
“I take the testimony of the engineer who sounded the alarm very seriously. I find it unacceptable that I was not informed of this report earlier. My deputy minister will shed light on the process that led to this mess. He has already taken action, ”said Mr. Bonnardel in a statement on Thursday.
He says that an “external firm will be commissioned to examine the process that led to these errors”. “Already, the ministry was planning to replace the lines within a 15-year schedule, but we are going to speed up the pace. It won’t take 15 years,” he insisted.
Photo Hugo-Sébastien Aubert, THE PRESS
Francois Bonnardel
Wednesday, the show Investigation of Radio-Canada revealed that the suspension lines of the Pierre-Laporte bridge are less and less resistant. According to a report produced by two engineers from the Ministère des Transports (MTQ), which was sent to senior managers at the end of April, some lines could even “give way at any time”. These senior managers would have been aware of the situation even before receiving the report.
In the report, the coordinator in major structures at the direction of Chaudière-Appalaches for the MTQ, Christian Mercier, affirms to have never had access to the report. “We knew that there was a global report on the management of the work that was coming, but we did not know that there was urgency in the house as you say. That, I was not aware of, ”explained the manager to the public network.
Work planned for this summer
In view of this information, Minister Bonnardel made a series of commitments on Thursday, including a new phase of construction sites within a few weeks.
“As of this summer, we are going to consolidate around forty lines, which deteriorate more quickly due to corrosion”, he notably promised, also committing to “set in motion the replacement of all the lines, as recommended in the report, quickly”.
Quebec nevertheless maintains that all means will be taken to “ensure the safety of users”, who should not be afraid to take the bridge for all that. “I want to reassure citizens. The department assures me that the bridge is safe at this time. […] If we had the slightest doubt, we would not hesitate to close it while we do the work, ”continued the elected caquiste.