Chunk of concrete falls from overpass

The chunk of concrete fell around noon Monday onto Highway 132 under the access ramp from A-10 and A-15, not far from the Champlain Bridge. (Feb. 14, 2011)

MONTREAL - A highway driver narrowly escaped injury after a slab of concrete fell from an access ramp and smashed through his windshield.

The piece of concrete, roughly the size of a loaf bread, landed in the passenger seat as the car headed west on Highway 132 on the South Shore.

The driver, who was alone in the car, managed to maintain control and wasn't hurt in the incident.

The man quickly pulled over to the side of the road to call police, who alerted Transport Quebec.

The incident happened around noon Monday under the access ramp from A-10 and A-15, not far from the Champlain Bridge.

Transport Quebec then sent a patroler to take photographs of the overpass.

"After looking at the pictures, we decided to send a team out to secure the structure," Caroline Larose of Transport Quebec told CTV Montreal.

"What we mean by securing the structure is removing any loose concrete that may fall and have a look, have our engineers have a look at the structure."

While that was being done, two of the three lanes on Highway 132 west were shut down around rush hour, leading to huge traffic delays.

Larose said the overpass has steel supports, and the concrete came from where the guard rails are secured.

Following the collapse of the De la Concorde overpass four and half years ago, overpasses all around the province were inspected - something Larose said Transport Quebec still does regularly.

"On a regular term basis we do inspect our structures. I don't have the details as when the last time this inspection took place on that structure," she said.

"We do everything we can to try to prevent these kind of accidents."