Pothole hazard: Meteor-like debris damages vehicles on Montreal's Highway 40

Montreal, Quebec — Transport Quebec has identified a pothole on Highway 40 as a possible cause of vehicle damage reported last Thursday, including a West Island couple whose windshield was shattered by what they described as a “meteor-like” debris.

A vehicle was reported damaged on Highway 40 East near Highway 13 in St. Laurent, Quebec. Louis-Andre Bertrand said that during this period punctures due to the pit were reported in the sector. A sinkhole on Highway 40 West near Highway 13 was filled Thursday night into Friday.

Dan Cholewa and Hillary Cohen were driving eastbound on Highway 40 when their windshield was shattered by concrete, the Gazette originally reported Saturday.

They reported the incident to the officer, who attributed the problem to a pothole on Highway 13 above the 40 freeway, noting that there had been a dozen such reports.

Transport Quebec clarified that the pothole was actually located on Highway 40 westbound near Highway 13 and confirmed that the Highway 13 overpass was in good condition.

A Quebec traffic patrol officer who responded to Thursday's incident concluded that the “accident may have been caused by the loss of cargo from the vehicle that fell into the ditch, or by ice breaking from another nearby vehicle.” , wrote Louis-Andre Bertrand, a spokesman for Quebec Transport.

“I know it's not ice,” Cholewa said Tuesday. “Before, ice flew at me. It was as clear as day concrete because of its shape and texture. When you touch the windshield, you can see its grainy texture.”

Cholewa said Transport Quebec's attribution of the incident to ice or cargo distracts from the broader issue of poor road conditions. “They don't want to take responsibility for it,” he criticized.

As of Tuesday afternoon, it was unclear whether the initial report of a vehicle damaged by debris on Highway 40 involved Cholewa and Cohen's vehicle or another vehicle.

“I don't want the province to wait for someone to die to act,” Cohen said.

“I'm lucky to be alive and to hug my kids a little tighter knowing it could have been different.”