Probe launched after concrete falls from exit ramp

Quebec’s Transport Ministry is investigating what caused several pieces of concrete to fall from the exit ramp connecting the Décarie Expressway southbound to Highway 20 West in the Turcot Interchange. Two major access ramps had to be closed during morning rush hour Tuesday, causing major traffic backlogs.

At 7 a.m., traffic was backed up to the Champlain Bridge and into the South Shore. Travellers from the west reported bottlenecks stretching beyond Lachine.

Several pieces of concrete rubble were discovered under the exit ramp at 3 a.m., near Pullman Boulevard, to the south and slightly west of the McGill University Health Centre superhospital. The ramps from Highway 15 northbound and southbound headed toward Highway 20 were closed until around noon.

Transport Ministry spokesman Mario Girard said drivers using those off-ramps, which will be dismantled in 2019 as part of the rebuilding of the 41-year-old Turcot Interchange, do not have to fear for their safety.

“We would not open them unless they were completely safe,” Girard said. “Inspections have been conducted to ensure the spans’ security.”

Transport investigators could not say what caused the pieces of rubble to fall from the aging structure, or when they fell.

The rebuilding of the Turcot highway system is the largest roadwork project in Quebec’s history, costing $3.7 billion and spanning from 2015 to 2020.

The interchange, a hub for road traffic in Montreal, sees more than 300,000 vehicles every day.