Following Quebec’s discovery that the inspection system for the province’s bridges and overpasses is in complete chaos, the City of Montreal has created its own list of nine municipally-controlled overpasses that will get special attention (the city is “determined not to take any chances“).
I’ve updated my map on Google Maps to reflect the new additions. Combined with the 135 on the Quebec Transport Department’s list, the number is so high Google Maps will only allow half of them to be displayed at one time.
Of note in this list of nine is one (actually a pair) on Nuns’ Island that was mentioned in a Gazette feature last month which invited a local structural engineer to take a look at some cracked structures. Whether the tiny overpass over a pedestrian walkway would have gotten the city’s attention without the Gazette piece is anyone’s guess.
Is the Sources exit on the 20 on the list? That is one scary overpass.
Not yet. But that tiny little Gouin Blvd. bridge just east of Highway 13 is.
The Sources “Interchange” really is a throwback to another era, but it also does look like it may need a long look by those engineers. I find it ironic that after a couple of years of hearing people say that the Turcot Interchange will probably collapse any day, it is not on any of the lists.
Keep in mind that most of these overpasses are of the “concrete slab” style similar to the Concorde Blvd. overpass: a slab sitting on a shelf at both ends.
The Turcot and Sources interchanges are much more elaborate. They also get lots more regular attention from engineers and laymen alike, I would imagine. The ones on this list are not the ones that strike fear into you as you see them.
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