The poor condition of a section of Highway 15 in the heart of the Laurentians creates an “emergency situation” which endangers “personal safety”, the Ministry of Transport now recognizes. Local mayors have been sounding the alarm for a long time. And the increase in affluence in recent years in the Laurentians would not be unrelated to its deterioration.
The ruts dug by the repeated passage of cars and heavy goods vehicles have become so widespread that accidents are feared. These deep furrows can cause loss of vehicle control, particularly for motorcyclists.
Officials had to make this demonstration on an official platform in order to conclude an emergency contract, without a call for tenders, for the repair of the roadway over several kilometers.
“When it is necessary to intervene promptly to ensure the safety of users during their travels or when the circulation of emergency services is compromised, the Ministry may recommend carrying out urgent palliative intervention,” explained the health advisor. communication Nathalie Nolin, from the Ministry of Transport, in an email to The Press.
Officials added that this section had not been deemed a priority in 2021, but that new analysis data “demonstrated that rutting had progressed more quickly than had been anticipated”.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Officials said the section had not been deemed a priority in 2021, but new analysis data “demonstrated that rutting had progressed more quickly than had been anticipated.”
Pavages Multipro, responsible for the mandate, will have to “correct ruts by fine leveling, manual patching and paving on Highway 15 in the municipalities of Sainte-Adèle, Val-Morin and Val-David,” indicated the Ministry. This is a 2 million contract. The work is expected to be carried out in the short term.
“Terrible”
Local elected officials are well aware of the ruts that scar the A15 in their neck of the woods.
“It’s terrible when you have the misfortune of falling into this,” said Dominique Forget, mayor of Val-David. “They are really hollow. […] As soon as you’re not completely in the rut, it destabilizes the car. »
They are so deep on the A15 that the mayor and her daughter used them to guide themselves in an extremely intense snowstorm last winter. But the rest of the year, they pose a real threat to motorists who have to make an emergency maneuver or are victims of aquaplaning when the ruts are full of water, she added.
Cars travel there “like a train on a railway track”, without drivers needing to touch the steering wheel, added Michèle Lalonde, mayor of Sainte-Adèle, in a telephone interview. It’s “very, very, very dangerous for motorcycles,” she added.
Dominique Forget suspects that the rush for the great outdoors in recent years partly explains the rapid deterioration in the condition of the A15. “I don’t think the roads were designed to [le nombre] of vehicles that we have had since the pandemic,” she said.
The Ministry of Transport agrees with him on this point. “The annual average daily flow north of Sainte-Adèle increased by 15% to 20% between 2021 and 2024,” indicated communications advisor Nathalie Nolin.
“It’s the knowonot “
Ruts on the road, “it’s the season right now” with the thaw, explained Professor Pooneh Maghoul, of Polytechnique Montréal, in a telephone interview.
Several reasons can explain the formation of ruts, she detailed. This could be due to poor road construction, an error in asphalt preparation or shortcuts taken by the contractor, but also the repeated passage of heavy vehicles beyond design standards. “It could be several things,” she said.
Alan Carter, professor at the École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), is broadly of the same opinion.
“The ruts are, in almost 100% of cases, made by heavy goods vehicles,” he said, noting that this explains why cars do not usually fit perfectly into the ruts. The only ruts caused by automobiles are linked to the use of studded tires, which have become rare on the roads in recent years.
For CAA-Quebec, it is normal for the ministry to be able to carry out emergency work when the condition of the roadway is very problematic. “Let’s move forward, because we must not endanger the people who pass over it,” said spokesperson Nicolas Ryan. The state of the entire road network “is worrying,” he added. “It is often said that barely one in two roads obtains a passing grade. »