When Temporary road Construction becomes Permanent

Years ago I had occasion to go a small town in Mexico where our company ran a small factory. Outside the front door of the factory road construction had made getting in and out of the building somewhat tricky. I thought nothing of it until I returned over a year later and found that not much progress had been made on the project and the construction site sat idle even though it blocked a significant thoroughfare.
Ah well, I thought "It's the third world, what do you expect?

What I wouldn't expect is the same situation in Montreal.


All The overpasses on the Cote de Liesse highway to the airport have had the traffic reduced to one lane, likely because of the fear that the bridges can't carry the load. At first, traffic cones were used to restrict traffic but as of last fall hazard signs were sunk into the road making the barrier permanent. The one at at the Autoroute 13 overpass is particularly bothersome and creates quite a jam a rush hour. I haven't heard anything about getting these bridges fixed and it's going on two years.

Another barrier which has morphed into permanent, is the one across Loblaws on St. Croix at Dion in St. Laurent.

The temporary flashing light has blinking for over a year now. I'm not sure what it is actually protecting, but it sure plays havoc with traffic.


On a positive note, the laying of new water pipes along Cote de Liesse is going like gangbusters.


For those of us who use the road as a daily commute, it's impressive to see a construction project done right.