Hamad dismisses addition tunnel concerns

Quebec’s transport minister has dismissed concerns that the Ville-Marie Tunnel is still at risk of collapsing. 

Sam Hamad confirmed that additional safety measures have been installed for now while the engineers carry out their work. Hamad says the Ville-Marie tunnel could be opened as soon as Monday. He promises not to open it without a guarantee from an expert engineer.

Many are not satisfied. A Facebook group has popped up asking for the minister to resign. Some critics say that the premier and his minister are not credible. Premier Jean Charest defended Hamad, saying he has done his best to  inform the public of why this is happening.

Another critic is the private firm working on the tunnel; Laco Construction. President of the company, Luc La Haye, says his company’s name has been dragged through the mud.

Hamad has previously blamed the collapse of the massive beam on Sunday on maintenance work being done in the tunnel. On Thursday, the transport ministry promised to release a recent report on the concrete grids covering the tunnel. Hamad promises to present a clear explanation of what the report means as soon as possible.