Work was underway Thursday morning to repair a gaping hole in a bridge in Châteauguay, south of Montreal.
The large hole formed Wednesday in the middle of a lane of traffic on the Sauvagine Bridge, which crosses the Châteauguay River.
The bridge was initially fully closed to traffic. By Thursday, one side of the bridge was reopened to traffic going in both directions.
À Chateauguay, sur le chemin Saint-Bernard, au-dessus de la rivière Châteauguay, fermeture du #pontdelaSauvagine en direction ouest, circulation à contresens sur la direction est pour une durée indéterminée avec 1 voie par direction
That’s a decision that was questioned by Châteauguay Mayor Éric Allard.
“According to the latest information I received, the MTMD (Ministère des transports et de la Mobilité durable) considers the bridge safe enough to open one side for two‑way traffic,” Allard wrote on Facebook. “I am speechless and don’t understand this decision, even though an MTMD engineer has stated that it is safe. I certainly won’t be using it.
“Given the level of rust on the metal rods, it’s difficult to believe the problem is limited to a single area — it appears to be widespread, although that assessment is based on my non‑engineer’s opinion.”
According to Allard, the provincial government was supposed to demolish and rebuild the bridge last year, but he says the project was postponed until 2030. He adds the MTMD inspected the bridge in August 2024.
