The repair of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel will ultimately cost nearly $1 billion more than expected, a jump of more than 40%, confirmed Quebec City on Monday evening.
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Awarded in 2020, the contract for the repair of the tunnel, which currently involves the closure of three out of six lanes to traffic, was initially valued at $ 1.43 billion.
However, due to “deterioration more advanced than expected of the vault and the walls of the tunnel as well as the requirements of fire protection”, Quebec was forced last August to revise the amount it pays to the contractor responsible for the works, Renouveau La Fontaine (RLF).
MARTIN ALARIE / MONTREAL JOURNAL
The bill will now total $2.5 billion, an amount up 43% which is almost entirely explained by an additional $970 million paid to RLF.
“The revised cost announced today includes the amounts required for additional interventions, costs related to the extension of the site and the improved mitigation measures,” detailed the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ).
Remember that the work, which should continue until November 2025, aims in particular to renovate the structure of the two tubes, update the equipment and improve fire protection. This work should make it possible to extend the life of the tunnel by 40 years, estimates the MTQ.