Pierre-Laporte Bridge: Work stopped to remove lines

The Ministere des Transports (MTQ) sent a notice to the contractor for the site a few days ago. Demobilize work platforms as quickly as possible under the central span of the bridge and, consequently, stopping work in progress.

The removal of the facilities began last week and is expected to continue until December. Work can be resumed only when several lines have been reinforced or if analyzes show that their residual resistance is sufficient.

As per our information, this decision was taken because no expert is ready to guarantee that the lines can hold up with these loads added to the bridge structure.

However, through email, MTQ confirms it Condition of lines is not a problem for carrying out painting and metallization work. However, it was finally decided to prioritize work in lines. It is recommended that no load be added to the deck while line replacement work is in progress.

is following Revelations from the show investigation Regarding the condition of the Pierre-Laporte bridge, the Minister of Transport announced last June Acceleration of complete replacement of lines.

Over the next year, about forty lines will have to be replaced or strengthened pending their replacement. Two contracts have been awarded to contractors in recent months, including an emergency contract worth $8 million to consolidate 28 lines.

Did the plan fail?

MTQ emphasized thatIt would have been unfair to stop them [les travaux de métallisation et de peinture] Before the start of preparation for work on the lines. But sources in the know believe that the ministry should have acted immediately after receiving the test results which showed the lowest resistances ever seen in the lines.

Our sources speak of a Serious planning failure Because the condition of the lines has long been a source of debate in MTQ.

Revealed by investigation According to various documents obtained by Radio-Canada, a few months ago, engineers raised their concerns about the lines from 2016. The email exchanges specifically show that the team responsible for the bridge has ignored warnings and reports in recent years.

When questioned on the matter as part of our report last June, engineer Christian Mercier, who headed the team, assured that he would follow all the recommendations. But these recommendations should not come from personal opinion within the emailHe added.

Christian Mercier is coordinator of major structures in the Chaudière-Appalaches regional department for the Quebec Ministry of Transport.

Photo: Radio-Canada

Mr Mercier said he was relying on the expertise of an American firm, BTC, to carry out additional tests on the lines’ cables, but an expert report was still awaited. According to MTQ, it should be filed soon.

Since then, MTQ handed over the maintenance of the Pierre-Laporte bridge to another department In the ministry, major projects. The process of forming this new team is still going on.

More reports

The metallization and painting works on the Pierre-Laporte bridge started in 2020 and were supposed to last two and a half years, but the suspension announced a few days ago has once again postponed the end of the work.

Pressure from government engineers in the renewal framework of their collective agreement, especially a strike in 2022, has already caused slowdowns, sometimes stopping the site completely for several weeks.

It’s a contract worth about $85 million that was awarded to Pomerleau in 2019. Till date, the contractor has completed almost half of the work.

MTQ would like to remind you that Normal maintenance work and not emergency work and they do not affect traffic. […] Work will be coordinated with work on resume lines, with the latter taking precedence.

One thing is for sure, these installments will have an impact on the final invoice, but it is impossible to know more at the moment. The costs of stoppage of work shall be discussed with the contractorMTQ stands for Representative.