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MONTREAL — The federal transport minister is offering reassurances a new Montreal bridge is safe despite reports some 2,000 defects have been found in parts manufactured by a Spanish company.

Marc Garneau says he wants people to know the structure “is in good hands.”

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He told reporters in Ottawa today all the parts for the new Champlain Bridge are inspected and are repaired or rejected when there are non-conformities.

Garneau said the $4.2-billion bridge will be built within costs and on schedule for next December.

The new structure, which spans the St. Lawrence River, is being built by the federal government to replace the crumbling Champlain Bridge.

A report in Le Journal de Montreal today lists a number of defects: porous steel plates; incomplete or non-existent soldering; defective bolts; as well as several holes poorly aligned in parts that have to be bolted together.

The consortium’s website says a project the size of the new bridge will inevitably encounter technical challenges.

But it adds that when an irregularity is raised, the only focus is to correct the situation so the permanent works conform to standards.

The new bridge is built by the “Signature on the Saint Lawrence” group, a consortium led by engineering and construction firm SNC-Lavalin.