On Monday, October 23, the Municipality of Les Cèdres was forced to close a portion of Chemin Saint-Dominique due to major signs of deterioration in the structure of a culvert located near civic address 950. We spoke to local general manager Jimmy Poulin to find out more about what happened next. 

"We carried out an emergency inspection on Monday afternoon, which revealed major structural problems. The deck of the culvert inspected is not stable, and it's the base that supports the asphalt. As with a bridge, there are pillars on each side of the culvert. According to our information, the structure dates back to the 1950s and is showing advanced signs of deterioration, making it unsafe. That's why this section has been completely closed," he sums up. 

A transit route to Saint-Lazare and Highway 20

On a daily basis, Chemin Saint-Dominique is used by many truck drivers to avoid having to stop at the roadside checkpoint on Highway 20 in Les Cèdres. In addition to the many trucks that use it, tractors and buses pass through every day. All these factors prompted the municipal administration to take swift action on Monday. 

Reconstruction to be considered 

"The culvert needs to be rebuilt. On Tuesday morning, an engineer visited the site to analyze the situation and take the first steps in the matter. People are telling us that we could install a metal plate so that vehicles can still travel. But that would be a dangerous solution, and one that hasn't been approved by an engineering firm," he adds.  

The purpose of the engineer's on-site visit was to determine the next steps in the project. "The preliminary design aims to understand what studies will need to be completed before reconstruction. A watercourse runs under the culvert. Are environmental studies required? Should the Ministry of the Environment be involved? We'd like to have everything done by the end of November, so that we can proceed with reconstruction in the spring of 2024," he continues. 

In the meantime, the 50 or so residents of the area and the road users who use it on a daily basis are invited to make the detour via Chemin Saint-Féréol in Les Cèdres, Chemin Saint-Emmanuel in Coteau-du-Lac or Autoroute 30.