A motorist was scared of his life When what seemed to him to be a piece of concrete hit his windshield while driving in the Ville-Marie highway tunnel in Montreal.
• Read also: The bridge-tunnel still partially closed for work
• Read also: Kidnapped, tied up and beaten, a 20-year-old throws himself into the Ville-Marie tunnel
“It went bang! We were in shock. We said to ourselves: well, let’s see that concrete blocks can fall on our heads like that!” relates Benoit Poupart.
Tuesday evening around 11 p.m., the 30-year-old man was returning from the Bell Center with two friends after the Montreal Canadiens’ crushing 5-0 victory over the Anahein Ducks.
“Let’s just say it spoils the atmosphere,” says the carpenter from Candiac.
Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montréal / Agence QMI
What appeared to him to be a piece of concrete approximately 10 cm in diameter struck his vehicle, as evidenced by the star on his windshield which he has not yet replaced.
Impact
“It was such a big impact that there were pieces of glass inside my car and on the passenger seat. My girlfriend’s cousin even cut his hand a little,” relates the motorist, still shaken.
Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montréal / Agence QMI
“We wondered what would have happened if the piece had been even bigger,” he continues.
In shock, he nevertheless continued his route towards exit 5 to return home.
“I wanted to go to the shoulder, but there were so many people that I couldn’t pass. At least I managed to come to my senses. Under the effect of the impact, I could have thrown the wheel and caused an accident,” he said.
Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montréal / Agence QMI
He reported the problem to 511 after returning home around 1 a.m. and completed a complaint form with the Ministry of Transport on Thursday.
“I’m going to have to replace my entire windshield, it’s going to cost at least $500,” he explains.
The road “filled with debris”
The Ministry of Transport confirms having received a report about debris during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
“The patrolman went, but he found nothing,” said a spokesperson, Gilles Payer.
He was not able to say whether such reports were frequent in the Ville-Marie tunnel, where an average of 55,000 motorists travel per day.
“It doesn’t necessarily come from the roof. […] The road is filled with debris. There are lots of people throwing things on the road, lots of trucks losing their cargo items. Our patrol officers are trained to look at the shoulders, up, down, the viaducts, the concrete,” he said.
It ensures that the tunnel remains safe.