Any thoughts on Montreal's crumbling infrastructure?

[General Gonad]

While others worry about language laws, I worry about our city's crumbling infrastructure. Our bridges are unsafe, traffic is horrendous, our water isn't clean and our mayor is oblivious to all these problems. What are your thoughts on our city's crumbing infrastructure?

GG

 

[happygolucky]

While in your beautiful city, I noticed how almost all of your bridges & overpasses look in very bad shape. This is the only scary thing about your city, since bridges around the world are starting to fail/collapse causing fear & the loss of life & property. I hope there is a plan in place to address this major issue.

 

[mrten]

What are your thoughts on our city's crumbing infrastructure?

GG

I just hope that I'm not on or under it when it falls.

 

[mack]

I just hope that I'm not on or under it when it falls.

I just hope that NOBODY is.

 

[General Gonad]

While in your beautiful city, I noticed how almost all of your bridges & overpasses look in very bad shape. This is the only scary thing about your city, since bridges around the world are starting to fail/collapse causing fear & the loss of life & property. I hope there is a plan in place to address this major issue.

There are no plans to address Montreal's infrastructure problems. The city used to be a lot more beautiful. I find it gets worse each year, especially in the last five years. Some areas are in real bad shape and traffic on some of our major highways starts at 3:00 p.m.!!! And the federal Minister recently announced that there are no plans to build another bridge linking South Shore to the island.

GG

 

[Bucky]

They build the palais des congres, those nice buildings in the old montreal area, nice for tourists to look at, but no money left to maintain, repair or replace infrastructures everywhere else in the city, the streets make me think i'm in Kabul and were bombarded, i think the government needs to spend a lot of dought in this city everything is falling appart, the pie IX overpass, nothing done except inspections i cannot go there anymore with my truck causing me to take the detour it sucks...sometimes i think to go back to Québec City, roads there are a charm compare to here...

 

[metoo4]

Yup! And peoples still moves to the suburbs, farther and farther away from the city, still insist on driving their cars to work, still complain every time there's road repairs slowing them down...

What about stopping or at least slowing down on the complaints and start to think how we can help things ourself? It's not always other peoples' fautl!

And yes, structures are crumbling! GG's been banned again!

 

[metoo4]

It's been a long time since I fixed a pothole

Same here. The point is structures are crumbling because they're over-used. Champlain bridge is a good example of this. Same as Metropolitain. So many cars with only 1 occupant.

 

[ParChance]

Sorry metoo4 but you are only expressing a part of the whole story as to why the infrastructure in this province is crumbling. The condition that you have chosen to mention is happening everywhere in North America.

Others are, that we in Quebec pour more salt on our roads than anywhere else. Salt and metal especially untreated metal or improperly treated metal (maybe a few payoffs ?) are not a good combination for the longevity of metal.

How about many successive provincial governments (both PQs & Liberals) have long negliected the infrastructures as it is not a glamorous re-electable issue because they will be out of power when Jerico (the walls come tumbling down) comes to call. Both PQs & Liberals think that there are more pressing matters to spend our hard earned money on.

 

[metoo4]

ParChance. I'm not minizing these facts, I do agree! I saw the same in New Jersey and New York. But if there's something we can do, why not?
Complaining isn't doing any good if we don't do anyting to change things. We can also let the authorities we want them to put some priority to roads but again, money will need to come from somewhere! Is there money wasted somewhere? You bet!

 

[eastender]

Wasted Money

ParChance. I'm not minizing these facts, I do agree! I saw the same in New Jersey and New York. But if there's something we can do, why not?
Complaining isn't doing any good if we don't do anyting to change things. We can also let the authorities we want them to put some priority to roads but again, money will need to come from somewhere! Is there money wasted somewhere? You bet!

Would some of the wasted money include multiple referendums about separating from Canada?

Part of the money that comprises the taxes on gasoline is supposed to be applied to road repair and expansion but it is used to cover budget shortfalls elsewhere.

Completing the extension of the 30 and the 440 (thru Ile Bizard = will never get done since that places an off ramp in Pauline's living room) and the 640 would reduce the load on Montreal roads.

 

[ParChance]

I informed both The Gazette and La Presse of a consulting firm who has in their pockets various bureaucrats from several ministeries of Quebec. So far nothing has been done and it matters not which party is or has been in power as they are all in this firm's pockets.

eastender you're right and let's not forget the OLF and their annual budget

 

[incognito_NYC]

Welcome to the jungle ...

... this was life in the late '70's & early '80's in NYC.

Recession, money mis-management, political corruption.

The City of New York asked President Ford & the federal gov't for help bailing them out of a fiscal crisis that was basically a problem they had created themselves promising too many people too many things, prompting the now infamous headline in the 'Daily News':

"Ford to City - Drop Dead".

So, somehow, the budgets were figured out every year. And the city survived the financial gauntlet.

Nobody really bothered to ask how it was that these seemimgly insurmountable budget challenges were miraculously solved.

And in the '80's and '90's we found out.

When entire sections of the infrasturcture had to be closed simultaneously for emergency repairs. The choice of phasing the work to cause mininum disruption was not an option because everything was falling apart all at once. Many bridges had limited to no service. And, going north out of NYC, every single interstate and parkway had construction closures going on for at least two years running, all at the same time.

And why?

Maintenance.

Maintenance is the easiest thing to cut out of a budget on any given year and not have anyone notice. Just dump the problem in somebody else's lap.

So it's obvious to see how "unexpected" tragedies like the recent bridge collapses in North America are possible.

It has nothing to do with technical ability to deal with the problem, only bone-headed politicians dealing with funding the solution.

And you have to remember that building something new is alot more glorious-looking on their personal resume than doing simple "maintenance" work on something old, even when that's all that's required. Plus they can attach their name to the new structure.

If politicians had their way, the Brooklyn Bridge would have been replaced by a much more economically maintainable concrete overpass by now.

Every government, nationally and locally, needs to be held accountable for all of their decisions regarding the maintenance & upgrading of our public infrastructure.

If you don't think so, there's some people down in the city of New Orleans who may beg to differ.

PS - They don't make Roeblings anymore, do they?