On the basis of a comparison between two comparable agglomerations, I propose here another way of considering the question of a third link between Quebec and Lévis. Until I am shown that it has neither a tail nor a head, I will take it for granted that not only is it possible, but also that it could have a beneficial effect on the development of the whole east. of Quebec, which has long been known to be very poorly served after the current links between Quebec and Lévis.
These two agglomerations have in common that they are made up of a large town and a smaller one which are separated from each other by a large river. This leads to the use of particular types of communication links, either bridges or tunnels. I will make this comparison using data provided by the two agglomerations concerned which are, on the one hand, those of Ottawa and Gatineau, separated by the Ottawa River and, on the other hand, those of Quebec and Lévis, separated by the St. Lawrence River.
The agglomeration of Ottawa-Gatineau has a population of 1,300,000 inhabitants, that of Québec-Lévis, a population of 820,000 inhabitants. The Ottawa-Gatineau agglomeration has five links on the Ottawa River to serve a daily flow of 150,000 vehicles. Three of these links are located right in the center of two cities. Added to this is the fact that, over the past few years, there has been periodic talk of a sixth link between Ottawa and Gatineau.
The agglomeration of Québec-Lévis has two links on the St. Lawrence; they are both side by side, at the western end of the city. These two links serve a daily flow of 152,000 vehicles, to which must be added the 5,000 vehicles that use a sluggish and old-fashioned ferry every day. It is also necessary to take into account a major restriction concerning the old Quebec bridge and which has the effect of appreciably reducing the effectiveness of the current links. Heavy goods vehicles are prohibited at all times on the old bridge. Only the Pierre-Laporte Bridge can serve them.
Let’s make a little rule of three together. If it takes five links to circulate 150,000 vehicles per day, how many links will it take to circulate 152,000 daily? Answer: 5.2 links.
So even with three links, including only two for heavy goods vehicles, the agglomeration of Quebec-Lévis would be far from the mark if we compare it to the agglomeration of Ottawa-Gatineau for almost identical daily flows.
For all these reasons, I would be in favor of a third Quebec-Lévis link, but under the following conditions. First, that this tunnel, which would be located in the center of the two cities, is not a dug tunnel, but a tunnel made of submerged sections built in dry dock, as was the case with the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel. This would make it possible to shorten the accesses to the two ends which would be dug, thereby reducing the damage to the environment. Secondly, this third link would be reserved as a strict priority for electrified transport as soon as the production of such vehicles would allow it, whether it concerns public transport for people and the transport of goods. Little or no room at all, according to daily flow regulators, would be given to private vehicles which, too, should be electric anyway.
When Citizen Labeaume says that it is to the west that we should improve communication links between Quebec and Lévis because urban development is currently being done more in the West, he forgets that the mobility and communication infrastructures constitute an important factor of attraction of development of a given pole. Improve communications in the east, and development will take place further east. He should know that the poles of attraction of urban development are not determined by some fatality!
It’s a safe bet that unlike the Metropolitan Express Network, which will only serve people on the island of Montreal by drawing on the savings of all Quebecers (CDPQ Infra), a third link of this type to Quebec, if he survives a hateful and petty Quebec City Bashing from Montreal, will appreciably facilitate the circulation and ecological transport of people and goods for all of eastern Quebec and not just for Quebec and its region.
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