Problems with Laval overpass not an isolated incident: witness

A Quebecstructural engineer who once repaired the Laval overpass that collapsed last fall says he worked on other highway structures that may have been improperly built.

Testifying on Wednesday at the Concorde overpass inquiry, Transport Quebec engineer Tiona Sanogo told the commission that through the course of his career he noticed abnormalities in other highway structures, including the well-travelled Turcot interchange in Montreal.

During routine repairs, Sanogo said, he noticed a steel reinforcement bar was missing from a section of the Turcot overpass where the blueprint indicated there should be one.

Sanogo also supervised repair work on Laval's Concorde overpass in 1992, eight years after other engineers had requested maintenance on the aging structure, according to testimony at the commission.

The commission, in its 11th day of testimony, is investigating the causes of Highway 19's Concorde overpass collapse on Sept. 30, 2006, that crushed five people to death.

Former Quebec premier Pierre Marc Johnson is leading the inquiry.

Repairs done years after request: testimony

Sanogo was overseeing repair work on the Concorde overpass that his former colleague and fellow Transport Quebec engineer Drasko Simic had ordered.

Testifying Tuesday, Simic told the inquiry commission that in 1985, when he was responsible for conducting regular inspections of the overpass on Highway 19, he recommended maintenance work including replacing the viaduct's leaking joints, but his requests were ignored.

Repairs were completed seven years later.

Not clear who called shots when overpass built

The commission has already heard from witnesses who testified that it wasn't clear who was in charge and that confusion reigned during the Concorde overpass construction.

Marcel Dubois, a retiredengineer formerly with Desjardins Sauriol who oversaw the Concorde's construction, testified last week that he was in charge of surface roads and not the overpass structure.

He told the commission he couldn't remember who was responsible for supervising the overpass construction.

His testimony was contradicted by other witnesses who worked on the site and said Dubois was the man in charge.

Other engineer witnesses testified their blueprints for the overpass were not followed when the highway was built 35 years ago, but they only realized it after it collapsed and they were able to review photos of the crash site.

The commission has also heard that the Concorde span had visible signs of deterioration before a piece of it broke off and plunged to the ground below.