MONTREAL, April 10 (UPI) -- Inspections of highway overpasses in the Canadian province of Quebec have condemned 28 of the structures, officials said.
Since July 2007, engineers have inspected 135 overpasses, and determined three should be torn down completely and rebuilt from scratch while 25 others in less critical shape need replacement due to age and wear, The Gazette newspaper in Montreal reported Thursday.
On its Web site, Transport Quebec also said 25 more overpasses require major repairs, the report said.
Mario St. Pierre, a Transport Quebec spokesman, told the newspaper the province has budgeted $2.7 billion for repairs to its roads this year, the majority of which will go toward overpasses, some of which are 50 years old.
In 2006, an overpass collapsed in Laval, northwest of Montreal killing five people and injuring six others.
The provincial evaluation found 42 percent of overpasses had "deadly weaknesses," the report said.
