In a moment mildly reminiscent of the Bay Bridge collapse in the big 1989 earthquake in San Francisco, a large chunk of an on ramp to the Mercier bridge plummeted to the ground below yesterday. The slab, measuring more than three feet across and weighing more than a hundred pounds thankfully struck nothing but pavement.
Not so lucky, however, was a 42-year-old man driving a late model Subaru who bottomed out in the hole, then struck a guardrail, dislodging a portion. The man wasn't hurt, but needless to say that his car is going to be in the shop for a while. A large metal plate was installed as a temporary patch to keep traffic moving through the area until repairs can be effected this weekend. The access ramp from La Prairie will be closed this weekend for twenty-four hours starting at 07h00 Saturday so that work crews can fully repair the damage - drivers will be detoured around the construction site.
There has been a spate of similar incidents in recent years which continue to highlight the general disrepair of our neglected bridges and general road infrastructure. Let's hope that there's a better plan once the Turcot Interchange comes down in the next few years.
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