Highway 15 overpass, completed last year, now being demolished

An overpass on Highway 15 in Verdun, replaced just a year ago, is being torn down because it doesn't "fit in" with plans for the new Champlain Bridge.

The original overpass was demolished by the federal bridge authority, theJacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), and replaced in two phases in 2014 and 2015 at a cost of $10.8 million.

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But in a statement posted to its website in August, Signature St. Lawrence (SSL), the consortium building the new Champlain, said the newstructure would be torn down because it "no longer met the project's technical requirements and did not fit in with the new highway leading to the new Champlain Bridge."

Ottawa defends move

MichaelWronski, a spokesman forInfrastructure Canada, said Wednesdaythat demolishing the original overpass on Highway 15 in Verdun "was necessary in order to ensure the continued safety of the existingChamplainBridge corridor as the overpass had reached the end of its service life and could not be further repaired."

"When the overpass was rebuilt, Infrastructure Canada was aware of the possibility that it may need to be replaced in the near future dependent on the final design of the newChamplainBridge corridor, which had not been finalized at that time. However, it was determined that the work needed to go ahead to address immediate safety concerns," Wronski said in a statement.

In an interview with Radio-Canada, Daniel Genest, director of coordination at SSL, said this won't happen again.

"We wanted to optimize the alignment of Highway 15 with the new Nuns' Island Bridge and the new Champlain Bridge. So out of necessity, recently built structures had to be demolished," he said.

SSL also tore down two other overpasses that were recently replaced, on Gatan Laberge Boulevard over Highway 15 near Nuns' Island, this summer. JCCBIspent$5.6 million on those overpasses.

They were demolished because the City of Montreal wants to create "more people-oriented and environmentally integrated spaces" in the area, according to SSL's statement.

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