Bureaucrats secretly pressed Ottawa to replace deteriorating Champlain
OTTAWA — Federal bureaucrats highlighted negative media coverage as they pressed the Harper government to act quickly on the rapid deterioration of the Champlain Bridge uncovered by inspections warning about the risks of a collapse.
In newly released briefing notes prepared for the lead minister, Denis Lebel, Transport Canada said the 51-year-old Montreal bridge, the busiest span in the country and an essential component of a major North American trade corridor, was in “poor condition” and required “comprehensive strengthening and other repairs” to avoid jeopardizing public safety. The briefing notes also said the minister and the government would face “significant pressure” to build a new bridge — a promise that the Harper government would make less than six months after receiving the department’s assessment in 2011.
“These reports identified significant signs of deterioration on the bridge and recommended its replacement as soon as possible,” said the briefing notes that were marked “secret” as part of a transition binder prepared for Lebel following the May 2011 election. “The bridge was not designed to handle high volumes of truck traffic and be resistant to corrosion and concrete degradation caused by the application of de-icing salt.”
Lebel, the minister responsible for infrastructure and Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Quebec lieutenant, said earlier this week that the construction of a new bridge over the St. Lawrence River, first pledged in October 2011, “continues to be a priority” for the government and that preliminary construction work was “on schedule.”
“Reports identified significant signs of deterioration and recommended its replacement.”
SECRET TRANSPORT CANADA BRIEFING NOTES
At the same time, he said that the government was seeking bids for a new three-year contract to prepare designs for a tolling system as well as electrical and lighting infrastructure on the proposed bridge.
The department also estimated in 2011 that it could “take at least 10 years before a new bridge could be in service,” including all of the design and financing work as well as environmental reviews and approvals. But the government hasn’t unveiled details about financing of the estimated $3-billion to $5-billion cost of the new span, proposing instead to explore a public-private partnership that would introduce tolls as part of the project. The briefing notes, released through access to information legislation, estimated that the existing Champlain Bridge handles more than 60 million vehicles per year, including about 11 million annual public transit commuters, and the equivalent of about $20 billion in merchandise per year.
Michel Leblanc, the president and CEO of the Montreal Metropolitan Board of Trade, said that the business community was hoping to see the new span completed within six years, explaining that lane closures, ongoing repairs and the state of the existing bridge is causing a drain on the economy. The briefing notes also included a substantial analysis of media coverage of the department’s files in thousands of newspaper articles, noting that it “tended to reflect concern about Transport Canada’s perceived lack of action on safety and security issues,” and that the government faced criticism in media reports, including an editorial in The Gazette, for announcing about $200 million in spending on repairs to the existing bridge in March 2011, without promising to build a new one.