"Urgent inspection is needed"

This apparent contradiction between the report and the failure to institute precautionary measures on his part made Mr. Bonin vulnerable to many questions from investigators this past week, at the hearings looking into the collapse of the overpass.

Visibly shaken on several occasions by specific and clinically precise questions during testimony which lasted over two hours, Mr. Bonin explained "I never thought the overpass could fall."

Assistant investigator Marie Cossette contrasted Mr. Bonin's testimony to that of Dave Ferrara, questioned the day before about the piece of concrete he saw fall from the bridge shortly before its collapse. It was Mr. Ferrara's call, logged at 11:25 am (the overpass fell at 12:40) that alerted Transport Quebec officials.

Did the three-foot long concrete fragment reported by this witness correspond to the dimensions of the one picked up by Jules Bonin on Autoroute 19 at 11:45 am? No, Mr. Bonin answered. The one he picked up and took to his truck measured about 8 to 10 inches long and 6 inches wide. The supervisor also swept with a shovel several other small fragments "the size of a golf ball" on the sides of the autoroute.

The day before, Dave Ferrara had also been categorigal. Looking at a picture of the piece of concrete picked up by Mr. Bonin, he stated that it could not have been the one he saw fall from the bridge on the fateful Saturday.