(Quebec) The Legault government must announce Tuesday morning that it has chosen the consortium in charge of building the new Île d’Orléans bridge. Like many construction projects in Quebec in these times of inflation, the bill could startle more than one person: the work is expected to cost $2.7 billion.
The CAQ government summoned the media Tuesday morning on Île d’Orléans. Already on Monday, Quebec met with the island’s mayors to inform them that the bridge reconstruction project would move forward as planned.
The replacement of the 1935 bridge which connects the North Shore to the island of 7,000 inhabitants was estimated at “a few hundred million” in 2020 by the former Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel.
Mr Bonnardel remained vague at the time, saying he did not want to affect the tender process. However, when the envelopes were opened, the winning consortium won with a stake of 2.7 billion, according to our information. This is more than the Île aux Tourtes bridge in Montreal, which is expected to cost 2.3 billion, or 65% more than initially planned.
The cable-stayed bridge is to be located approximately 120 meters west of the current bridge. It will be a little over 2 kilometers long. It was to include shoulders and a multi-use path on both sides of the traffic lanes.
The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, will meet the media Tuesday morning, alongside a host of CAQ elected officials from the region. We will then know in particular whether the opening of the bridge is still planned for 2027.