 Michel Despres (Transport Minister of Quebec) stated that it was inspected once a year, and got a more in-depth inspection once every three years, as per the usual inspection requirements in Quebec, last being May 2005.Ken Bontius, a civil/structural engineer at Hatch Mott MacDonald adds that the bridge was examined bi-annually by structural engineers.After the collapse of the overpass, the government moved quickly to rescue survivors, remove the dead, and clear away the debris.