PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
We learned this week that it will be necessary to restart a section of the Metropolitan Highway which was however redone last year.
Is the quality control of our road works optimal? The question arises more than ever.
Posted yesterday at 10:00 a.m.
We learned this week that it will be necessary to restart a section of the Metropolitan Highway which was however redone last year.
Reason for this nonsense? The contractor mixed two grades of bitumen instead of using the stronger one as specified in the contract. Explanation: human error in the Groupe Beauval factory whose slogan, “We build for life”, will have to be revised…
When we observed a phenomenon of bleeding – which occurs when the bitumen rises to the surface and gives a wet appearance to the pavement – it was too late.
So let’s tear it off and start again!
We assure you that this will be at the expense of the contractor.
But this error comes at a very bad time for the Ministry of Transport: the state engineers, in negotiations these days, rightly denounce the loss of expertise within the MTQ.
One can also ask whether our standards are sufficient.
The MTQ ensures that it has carried out the necessary checks on the Metropolitan site, i.e. sampling every 200 tonnes of asphalt mix. However, these tests, as well as those of the contractor Roxboro Excavation, did not detect anything.
The MTQ is currently reviewing its quality control process and will add laboratory tests. We also promise a Quebec standard by next year.
Better late than never.