Some of the recent repairs on the Champlain Bridge may have to be redone.
In the past year six supporting pillars of the bridge had portions of their concrete replaced, but the work was not done according to specifications.
The federal company which oversees the Champlain bridge said that Construction DJL, which had the $25 million contract to do the work, made mistakes while pouring concrete.
The mix was poured too quickly and so not only has air bubbles, but gravel settled to the bottom of the mould, while water and sand rose to the top.
The end result is a lopsided vertical slab that is not as strong as it should be -- but is still judged to be safe enough for commuters.
Julie Paquet of the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Corporation said the Crown is not going to pay for the work to be done a second time.
"If we feel, after examining different samples, that the quality of the concrete doesn't meet our standards then they need to go back and repair it," said Paquet.
"We might also charge them a penalty if they don't have to redo because it doesn't affect the [strength] of the concrete."
The Champlain Bridge has to hold up for another three years until its replacement is constructed.
That $3 to $5 billion project is being undertaken by SNC-Lavalin, ACS Infrastructures, Dragados Canada, and Flatiron Construction, with a final cost to be announced next month.
Preliminary work has already begun with full-scale construction due to begin later this year.
