1hlerry Slgne

#3931631
LnCL216
!eanneLLe novakovlch
AsslgnmenL #2
8ackgrounder
Montrea|'s Neg|ected Infrastructure
CrlLlcal componenLs of MonLreal's lnfrasLrucLure neLwork are nearlng Lhe end of Lhelr useable llfe cycle
uecades of neglecL and mlsmanagemenL by publlc offlclals have lefL roads brldges hosplLals and
poLable waLer dellvery ln lamenLable sLaLes Cracks ln concreLe sLrucLures are causlng a cacophony of
publlc ouLcry
8ackground
MonLreal ls a relaLlvely young clLy when compared Lo large Luropean clLles AlLhough lL was founded ln
1642 lL Look nearly anoLher Lwo hundred years for MonLreal Lo be lncorporaLed as a clLy ln 1832 (1)
1he 1967 World lalr commonly referred Lo as Lxpo 67 caLapulLed Lhe clLy lnLo modernlLy Such a rapld
consLrucLlon boom was golng Lo have drasLlc repercusslons 40 years laLer
Some of Lhe lnfrasLrucLures bullL durlng Lhls era (1) can be seen ln 1able 1 below
1he elevaLed neLwork of hlghways
13 20 40 as well as Lhe 720

Source fllckrcom
1he Champlaln 8rldge was
compleLed ln 1962

Source fllckrcom
1he underground subway sysLem
(MeLro) lnauguraLed ln 1966

Source globalphoLosorg
1he Clymplc SLadlum for Lhe 1976
Clymplc Summer Cames
Source fllckrcom
1able 1

1hlerry Slgne
#3931631
WhaL Pappened
CollecLlvely Lhese lnfrasLrucLure pro[ecLs were cosLly Lo bulld and cosLller Lo malnLaln unforLunaLely
LhroughouL Lhe 1990s and 2000s Lhe Lhree levels of governmenL (munlclpal provlnclal and federal)
could no longer afford Lhe modernlsLlc dreams of Lhe pasL 8ecesslons forced mlnlsLers of flnance Lo
reduce budgeL allowances allocaLed Lo malnLalnlng lnfrasLrucLures 1hls was deemed a vlable soluLlon
compared Lo Lhe unpopular alLernaLlve of cuLLlng spendlng lnLo healLh care or educaLlon AlLhough lL
was consldered a Lemporary soluLlon Lo runnlng deflclLs Lhe phllosophy remalned ln place desplLe Lhe
economy bounclng back
Crumbllng and Collapslng
neglecLed lnfrasLrucLure malnLenance caused Lhe acceleraLed deLerloraLlon of Lunnels overpasses and
roads wlLnessed Loday 1he followlng are examples of varlous lnfrasLrucLures ln or around MonLreal LhaL
have grabbed headllnes ln Lhe lasL few years
O Severe cracks appeared ln a passageway secLlon of Lhe large underground neLwork llnklng
downLown offlce bulldlngs
4 8oad Lrafflc above was dlverLed Lo reduce any rlsk of collapse
4 Iarlous sLakeholders refused Lo Lake responslblllLy for Lhe lack of malnLenance
preferrlng Lo lay Lhe blame on oLhers (2) (3)
O 1he Clymplc SLadlum has had a few lncldenLs (4)
4 1he kevlar roof Lore aparL under Lhe welghL of heavy snow ln[urlng several workers
below who were seLLlng up Lhe annual MonLreal AuLo Show
4 A concreLe block fell from Lhe celllng armaLure 1hls plece was laLer consldered non
sLrucLural no one was ln[ured
O 1he Champlaln 8rldge bullL ln 1962 (1) has only 10 years lefL before belng declared unsafe
4 Closlng Lhe Mercler 8rldge acceleraLes Lhe wear on Lhe Champlaln 8rldge (3)
O 1he Lraglc onL de la Concorde collapse of 2006 ln Laval clalmed Lhe llves of 3 people A publlc
lnqulry deLermlned Lhe brldge falled for a comblnaLlon of reasons (6)
4 1he lnnovaLlve concreLe deslgn made lL
dlfflculL Lo lnspecL properly
4 Lnglneers underesLlmaLed Lhe mass and
frequency of Lrafflc uslng Lhe brldge
4 1he conLracLor dld noL respecL sLrucLural
deslgn blueprlnLs and falled Lo lnsLall crlLlcal
sLeel relnforcemenLs ln proper locaLlons
4 Low quallLy concreLe was used
4 mproper waLerprooflng Lechnlques were
used
ource Iohn Mahoney 1he Gazette
1hlerry Slgne
#3931631
Where We SLand
now LhaL Lhe publlc ls aware of Lhe neglecLed sLaLe of MonLreal's lnfrasLrucLures lL ls asklng many
quesLlons Many of Lhe quesLlons are relaLed Lo Lhe process of bulldlng and malnLalnlng Lhe
lnfrasLrucLures
O WhaL ls Lhe blddlng process for englneerlng flrms?
O Pow do conLracLors vle for conLracLs? (7)
O s Lhere any colluslon among conLracLors/englneerlng flrms? (8)
O s organlsed crlme lnvolved?
O f so how greaL ls Lhelr lnfluence?
O Pave governmenL offlclals corrupLed or compromlsed? (9)
O Are any of Lhe lnfrasLrucLures compromlsed due Lo Lhe above?
O uo drlvers have Lo fear crosslng over/under brldges?
O Are Lhere more efflclenL ways Lo bulld new or malnLaln exlsLlng sLrucLures?
L has been documenLed LhaL Lhe usual overblddlng for governmenL pro[ecLs hovers beLween 33 and
37 (10) L ls noL uncommon Lo see some blds go four or even flve Llmes Lhe falr markeL value! Many
pro[ecLs are handed ouL Lo Lhe same 14 conLracLlng flrms wlLh llLLle chance for ouLslde Lenders
1here ls good news 1he followlng are Lhe Lwo mosL promlslng polnLs
O Advances ln ulLra Plgh erformance ConcreLe (uPC) deslgn show greaLer ducLlllLy sLrengLh
and durablllLy when compared Lo englneered concreLe from 20 years ago (11)
O !acques uuchesneau head of Lhe AnLlcolluslon 1askforce has compleLed an 18 monLh
lnvesLlgaLlon and wlll be remlLLlng a deLalled reporL of hls Leam's flndlngs on Lhe corrupLlon
wlLhln Cuebec's consLrucLlon lndusLry
Colng lorward
L mlghL noL be posslble Lo eradlcaLe neglecL and mlsmanagemenL compleLely from Lhe consLrucLlon
lndusLry Powever Lhey can be mlnlmlsed by requlrlng greaLer accounLablllLy from all parLles lnvolved
Cuebec ls aL a crossroads 1he publlc demands a safe
envlronmenL L also demands a commlsslon of lnqulry Lo shlne
Lhe llghL on Lhe errors of Lhe pasL and help avold repeaLlng Lhem
ln Lhe fuLure 8arrlng Lhls moLorlsLs may end up seelng more
blllboards erecLed by Lhe CaLhollc Archdlocese of MonLreal
warnlng Lhem Lo say Lhelr prayers prlor Lo crosslng (12)

ource [ack3Swordpresscom
1hlerry Slgne
#3931631
SuggesLed 8eadlngs
(1) MonLreal PlsLory by key uaLe" mage MonLreal wwwlmLlorg/monLreal/hlsLolrephp Web
26 Sep 2011
(2) 8laLchford Andy ctocks lo Mootteol 1oooel 5potk cooceto Ovet Ooebecs Aqloq loftosttoctote
Canada 1oronLo 1he Canadlan ress 2007 c8cA kefeteoce cotteot veots Web 14 Sep
2011
(3) Aubln Penry no Cne ln Charge of nfrasLrucLure 1oo Many Cooks and Lack of CoCrdlnaLlon
Leave CommuLers SLewlng whaL we need ls a Czar Lo Cversee our neLwork of 8oads 1be
Cozette A23 coooJloo NewsstooJ Mojot uollles !un 21 2011 Web 14 Sep 2011
(4) 8lga Andy 1he 8lg C Jmootoo Iootool L3 coooJloo NewsstooJ Mojot uollles Aug 01
2010 Web 14 Sep 2011
(3) Lalonde Mlchelle Mercler Mess AcceleraLes Wear and 1ear on Champlaln uomlno LffecL
Causes 1rafflc Chaos 1be Cozette A6 coooJloo NewsstooJ Mojot uollles !ul 08 2011 Web
14 Sep 2011
(6) !ohnson M CouLure A nlcoleL 8 Commlsslon of nqulry lnLo Lhe Collapse of a orLlon of
Lhe de la Concorde Cverpass" 8lbllotbpoe et Atcblves ootloooles Jo Oobec CcL 13 2007
(7) Seguln 8heal ConsLrucLlon ndusLry laces 1esL of nLegrlLy 1be Clobe ooJ Moll A11
coooJloo NewsstooJ Mojot uollles Apr 04 2009 Web 14 Sep 2011
(8) Cuebec 8oadwork CorrupLlon Alleged uolly commetclol News ooJ coosttoctloo kecotJ
82201 (2009) 113 c8cA 8osloess Web 14 Sep 2011
(9) CodbouL !acques CorrupLlon 101 Actoollt !un 01 2011 81 ltoOoest Web 14 Sep
2011
(10) unlon 1urns on CharesL Cver ConsLrucLlon Scandals colqoty netolJ A6 coooJloo
NewsstooJ Mojot uollles nov 18 2010 Web 14 Sep 2011
(11) erry IP CA WhaL s 8eacLlve owder ConcreLe? nlc 8tlJqe vlews ssue no 16
!uly/AugusL 2001 Web 16 Sep 2011
(12) 8laLchford Andy cbotcb AJ wotos Mototlsts to 5oy oot ltoyets befote ctossloq Aqloq
8tlJqe Canada 1oronLo 1he Canadlan ress 2011 c8cA kefeteoce cotteot veots Web 14
Sep 2011