Collapse of de la Concorde Overpass

As chief technical expert for the Commission, Jacques Marchand, president of SIMCO, led a team of experts on the technical causes of the collapse of de la Concorde overpass

On Saturday, September 30^th, 2006, at around 12 :30 PM, a section of the de la Concorde overpass in Laval, north of Montreal, suddenly collapsed onto Highway 19, killing five people and injuring six others.

The Government of Quebec established a commission of inquiry with a mandate to investigate the circumstances of the collapse, determine the causes of the collapse, and present recommendations to the government on steps to be taken so as to avoid any recurrence of such a tragic event.

Acting as chief technical expert for the Commission, Dr. Jacques Marchand President of SIMCO,  led a team of experts on the technical causes of the collapse of the reinforced concrete bridge.

In addition to an exhaustive study of the plans, history, and materials characterization of the collapsed structure, the scope of work included a complete review of the Quebec Transport Ministry’s inspection programs, training methods, inspector manuals and handbooks, maintenance prioritization and planning, information gathering and file-keeping protocols.