Calling the project “complex,” a spokesperson for the ministry says work is now scheduled to begin in 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Days after the incident, the president of the Quebec Order of Engineers said the Sauvagine Bridge is not the only piece of the province\u2019s infrastructure in trouble.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were surprised that something like that would happen, but at the same time, we\u2019re not surprised because there\u2019s a big deficit in our infrastructure in Quebec,\u201d Sophie Larivi\u00e8re-Mantha told CBC Montreal\u2019s Daybreak.<\/p>\n
Public documents show the province\u2019s road infrastructure network currently needs more than $22.5 billion worth of repairs, as a significant portion is considered to be at\u00a0the end of its useful life.<\/p>\n
In its 2025-26 infrastructure investment plan, the Transport Ministry blames the extent of the needs on a lack of proper investment between 1980 and 2000, adding that only 58 per cent of its network is considered to be in good condition.<\/p>\n
Experts say this winter\u2019s repeated freeze-thaw patterns<\/a> have also taken a toll on the network.<\/p>\n Quebec\u2019s infrastructure in ‘crisis’<\/p>\n A 2025 report by the Order of Engineers suggests that decisions made in more recent years haven\u2019t helped the situation. The order says officials are more interested in building brand new projects than maintaining existing infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are facing a big crisis,\u201d Larivi\u00e8re-Mantha said. \u201cWe need to put more money in the maintenance of the infrastructure that we already have instead of constructing new ones.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Several organizations involved in infrastructure construction in Quebec are raising similar concerns, saying the province\u2019s road network has been in dire need of attention for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s always sexier to cut a ribbon for a new library, a swimming pool,\u201d said Caroline Amireault, the general director of the Association des constructeurs de routes et grands travaux du Qu\u00e9bec (ACRGTQ), which represents road construction companies.<\/p>\n WATCH | Experts explain how Quebec roads ended up in such a bad state: How did Quebec roads get so bad? Experts say it\u2019s more than just the harsh climate<\/p>\n Quebec roads have long had a bad reputation. The oscillating temperatures in the winter may make things worse, but experts say road infrastructure has been in dire need of attention for decades \u2014 in more ways than one.<\/p>\n Along with several other groups, like CAA-Qu\u00e9bec and the Conseil du patronat du Qu\u00e9bec, the ACRGTQ submitted joint recommendations to the Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec government ahead of this week’s provincial budget.<\/p>\n They\u2019re calling for the government to set up dedicated maintenance funds that can\u2019t be moved to other projects and are protected from changing political cycles.<\/p>\n \u201cWe draw a parallel with condo associations. For several years now, the government has required these associations to keep reserve funds, a small budget set aside if any work needs to be done. We should implement the same mechanisms with the government,\u201d Amireault argued.<\/p>\n Louis L\u00e9vesque, Chair of the Public Policy Committee for the Association of Quebec Economists, agrees. A longtime former public servant, including as federal deputy transportation minister, L\u00e9vesque says a maintenance budget should be attached to any new project.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you decide to build something, the cost of maintaining that should not be optional. [It] should be embedded in your budget,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n L\u00e9vesque says his group is also asking the province to prioritize infrastructure maintenance over building new, adding he worries the government won\u2019t act \u201cuntil something really bad happens.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Not the first wake-up call\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2006, the De la Concorde overpass<\/a> in Laval, Que., collapsed, killing five members of the same family and injuring six others.\u00a0<\/p>\n A public inquiry blamed several factors, including design flaws, faulty construction and poor quality materials, but also neglected maintenance and lack of proper oversight. It led to recommendations,<\/a> including calls for stable long-term funding for road infrastructure maintenance and repairs.<\/p>\n L\u00e9vesque says given the scope of the incident, he is surprised that maintenance, in his opinion, is still not a priority.<\/p>\n \u201cWe tend to forget things very rapidly. It’s funny, because the motto of Quebec is \u2018I remember.\u2019 And my sense is it should be renamed to \u2018I remember not-long-enough.\u2019 You have to go back to 2006,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In more recent years, the province has found better ways to replace roads that have reached their end of life. For example, it\u2019s gradually been moving toward using longer-lasting concrete to pave some highways, instead of asphalt, according to Radio-Canada.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756253527_54_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773650470_731_default.jpg\")
The De la Concorde overpass collapsed onto Highway 19 in Laval, Que., on Sept. 30, 2006. (Ryan Remiorz\/CP)<\/p>\n