Ontario, Toronto to conduct overpass checks

In the wake of a fatal overpass collapse in Quebec, Ontario and the city of Toronto plan to conduct special inspections on overpasses that are several decades old.

Five people died and six were injured when a 20-metre chunk of an overpass on a busy highway linking Laval with Montreal crashed onto vehicles below. Quebec has launched a public inquiry to find out why it happened.

Toronto and Ontario own overpasses the sameage as the damaged one in Quebec, about 35 years. Thosewill undergo special inspections beginning on Monday.

Butthe province andthe citysay that overpasses here are safe.

Inspectors for the Ministry of Transportation said that an initial review suggests there are no overpasses in Ontario that are similar in design to the one that collapsed north of Montreal.

In Ontario, provincially owned overpasses, raised roadways and bridges are inspected twice a year.

Those overpasses under the City of Toronto's jurisdiction undergo detailed engineering inspections every second year, with a maintenance inspection done annually. Visual inspections also occur on an unscheduled but frequent basis, city officials said.

"We've had a comprehensive inspection program in the past," said Gary Welsh, Toronto's general manager of transportation services. "We've had the adequate funding coming from council to make the necessary repairs on a timely basis."

Both city and provincial officials say they are confident their procedures would give sufficient warning of any structural problems in bridges and overpasses.