A new fissure has been detected on rue Lippé in Les Coteaux. Closed since last July following the collapse of a section between 8 and 10 rue Lippé, a new fissure between addresses 42 and 46 is keeping local residents and municipal authorities on their toes.

Nearly twenty concerned citizens turned up at the October 16 council meeting to find out more about the situation, but above all to share their fears with the members of the municipal council.

"A daily inspection is carried out to note any changes in the situation. One lane of traffic has been cut back, but alternating traffic on the other lane is possible and safe, as recommended by the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable," explained Sylvain Brazeau, the municipality's mayor.

In order to be supported in its actions, the Municipality has mandated the Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM) to accompany it through the tendering process. 

"We're working with the FQM to find out how to act in such circumstances. For us on the municipal council, safety is the number-one issue," he added.

"We all know it's going to fall eventually"

"Don't tell me that it won't fall on Lippé, further into the Saint-Polycarpe area. It's been falling for years and it's never been fixed, just bypassed... If Lippé falls, it's not just the street that falls, it's the sewers too. We all know it's going to fall eventually," said a Lippé Street homeowner.

According to Mr. Brazeau, no apparent danger indicating a risk of collapse has been detected. "Public Security has been there, and as far as they're concerned, the situation is stable. There's nothing alarming... If things get worse, we'll intervene. But in the meantime, we're working with the various government authorities to ensure everyone's safety," says the mayor.

Bordering the Delisle River, a new subsidence on rue Lippé is raising a number of concerns among local residents. "When the floods come, the water will rise again on the street," adds the owner.

The Delisle River has been under inspection for several years, and the municipality is seeking funding for erosion prevention studies.

A request for exclusion

Before any work can be carried out, the municipality must go through the various stages of the tendering process.

"I contacted the Ministère de la Sécurité publique to request that the Municipality be excluded from the call for tenders process, because we're in an emergency situation and I'd like to be able to award our contracts right away without going through the whole process. Unfortunately, this is impossible, as the situation is deemed to be stable. It would have to get worse by the day, and that's not what we want. Then he'd do something about it," added Pamela Nantel, the Municipality's Director General and Clerk.

"If I understand correctly, the situation will become urgent when the road completely collapses. I haven't slept well since it collapsed. Every day I go to work and wonder if I'll be able to come back in the evening. What are we going to do when it all falls down? Are we going to have to leave our car and walk home? We have no other way," said a resident of rue Lippé.

A bypass road in the plans

Since June, the Municipality has been discussing scenarios with CN that could allow the extension of certain sections of Rémillard Street, thus providing more than one access route to the Lippé Street area.

"We've been talking about rue Rémillard for a long time. It's just that in the Municipality's finances...the money isn't always there," explained Mr. Brazeau in response to a citizen who came to speak at the microphone.

"We're working on a bypass road. At the same time, to know exactly what to do about rue Lippé, we've issued a call for proposals to carry out preliminary studies. We're doing everything we can to move the project forward," confirmed the General Director.

A call for tenders for the preliminary geotechnical and hydraulic studies has indeed been issued. The contract for the studies is due to be awarded on November 2. 

The selected firm will be required to submit its report by January 29 at the latest. Based on the results of the studies, the firm must propose a bypass and rehabilitation scenario.

An appeal to higher authorities

"It would be good to have the support of citizens and the collaboration of the population in order to put pressure on authorities higher than the Municipality. Go and make requests at a higher level, so that the Municipality feels supported and encouraged by its citizens in the requests it makes to the government... Even if we want to move fast, we're blocked everywhere. We need a helping hand," says Sylvain Brazeau.