Cracks in concrete found at Montreal's Place-des-Arts Metro station

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 11, 2025 7:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

One of the entrances astatine Montreal's Place-des-Arts Metro presumption is being closed to repair cracks successful the factual slab and beams.

In a quality merchandise Thursday, Montreal's nationalist transit authorization said the cracks were recovered adjacent the Jeanne-Mance Street entrance, and an probe revealed important deterioration of the concrete, astir apt caused by de-icing brackish and h2o implicit the years.

The closure is for an indefinite clip period, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) says.

Ahmed El-Geneidy, a prof astatine McGill University's School of Urban Planning, said he's not amazed the cracks were recovered due to the fact that the Metro web is getting old.

"The factual is not designed to past forever. So we person to bash maintenance. We person to bash upgrades," helium said.

In October of past year, 3 Metro stations connected the Blue enactment — Fabre, d'Iberville and Saint-Michel — were closed for a akin reason.

An engineering squad recovered that determination was important degradation of the main beams supra the walkway astatine the Saint-Michel station.

A caller study connected transport infrastructure recovered that the proportionality of STM structures successful a authorities of disrepair roseate from 23 per cent to 39 per cent successful 2025. And the Place-des-Arts presumption was fixed a failing grade, according to the STM.

"It's aging. We cognize it's aging," El-Geneidy said. "It's not thing to hide."

The Place-des-Arts presumption is inactive unfastened to riders portion this attraction is taking place. The STM says determination is thing for riders to interest astir and users tin entree the services arsenic normal.

"We volition enactment rapidly to transportation retired the indispensable work, but this lawsuit reminds america of the value of taking attraction of our infrastructure," said Éric Alan Caldwell, seat of the STM board, successful a quality release.

"The needs are urgent, and that is wherefore we proceed to petition the indispensable funds to support our assets successful bid to support a reliable and businesslike Metro network."