My Alerts Pursuant to section 105 of the Act Respecting Public Transit Authorities
Montréal, September 6, 2022 - In keeping with the regulatory framework and in accordance with section 105 of the Act Respecting Public Transit Authorities, the Chair of the STM Board of Directors has authorized the awarding of a contract by mutual agreement of up to $16 million for rock consolidation and reconstruction work, until a new contractor takes over the work following the call for tenders process launched on August 22.
“As a good corporate citizen, the STM has taken all necessary measures to comply with the regulatory framework and acted quickly to ensure the safety of employees and residents, as well as the sustainability of the site and infrastructure,” says Éric Alan Caldwell, Chair of the STM Board of Directors. “A monitoring plan for the temporary support infrastructure was quickly implemented, and work is already underway to reconstruct and consolidate the rock.”
Rock reconstruction and consolidation
During work on the Bellechasse garage, despite the tests carried out before the work, difficult and unforeseen geotechnical conditions required rock reconstruction and consolidation work to allow the construction of the building according to the planned design.
On June 1, 2022, the rock consolidation and reconstruction work underway was suspended by the STM, in compliance with the regulatory framework and in order to issue several calls for tenders for the various disciplines concerned, including the rock consolidation and reconstruction work.
On June 16, 2022, heavy rains revealed problems with the integrity of the support system, which were not known when the work was suspended on June 1.
The STM quickly implemented a response plan to secure the infrastructure and obtained two reports from external firms to assess the situation. The reports corroborated the fact that urgent corrective work was required before the next freeze-thaw cycle, and subsequently, given the condition of the support wall system, to ensure the safety of employees and residents, as well as the sustainability of the site and infrastructure.
The Office of the Auditor General was informed of the situation and gave its approval for the STM to proceed under section 105 and resume the rock consolidation and reconstruction that was suspended on June 1, 2022.
Work is currently underway, and the worksite is safe. A monitoring plan for the temporary support infrastructure has been implemented.
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