Quebec's transport department says it plans on conducting extensive repairs to the aging Sources overpass above Highway 20 over the next few years, rather than tearing it down and rebuilding.
The structure, which is nearly a half-century old, has been showing noticeable signs of wear for years.
Martin Girard with Transports Quebec says major repairs to the structure will be carried out within the next five years, based on a study from last December — though no start time has yet been settled on.
"The work is still in planning, so we don't have all the information about the repairs," Girard says. "The project is still in preparation, but the work will be done within the next five years."
Girard wouldn't speculate on how much the repair work would cost.
About three years ago, the transport department actually had tentative plans to tear the structure down and rebuild it — but it imposed restrictions on heavy trucks and buses instead while it pressed ahead with further studies.
The transport department will continue to conduct inspections while the work goes on, to make sure the road remains safe.