Montreal’s tunnel collapse creates traffic chaos
MONTREAL – – Authorities still don’t know when the eastbound Ville Marie tunnel will be accessible, following its collapse Sunday morning.
The eastbound lanes of the tunnel, between Mountain and Panet streets and the entrances from Cathedrale St., Duke Str. and the Bonaventure Expressway, will remain closed until further notice.
The section between the Mountain St. and St. Laurent Blvd. exits re-opened Monday.
Authorities recommend people who use the routes consult Transport Quebec’s website (mtq.gouv.qc.ca) or call 511 for routing information.
Transport officials shut the expressway Sunday morning after a 15-meter-long concrete slab crumbled and fell to the road below.
Miraculously there were no injuries. Authorities estimate that about 100,000 vehicles use the route every day.
The tunnel collapse shouldn’t surprise anybody. According to media reports, the tunnel came under scrutiny in 2008 when the provincial government issued a report criticizing the condition of the tunnel, warning that it parts of it could fall at any time.
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