(Quebec) Ottawa, Quebec and Canadian National (CN) will invest $1 billion over the next 25 years to maintain the Quebec Bridge, which the federal government is taking back from CN, announced Justin Trudeau.
“It’s a commitment that we made to the people of the Quebec region, and today, we are fulfilling our promise. The federal government will invest approximately forty million dollars per year for its rehabilitation program over the next twenty-five years. », announced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a press conference on Wednesday.
During the press conference, Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez specified that Ottawa would provide 60% of the amount, the rest will come from the government of Quebec (25%) and CN (15%), which will remain users of the work.
These investments “will extend the useful life of the bridge for decades to come, in particular through an increase in the frequency of replacement of parts. The rehabilitation program also includes a contribution component for the painting and aesthetics of this historic infrastructure. »
According to several reports from the federal Ministry of Transport, the Quebec Ministry of Transport and CN, the structure of the Quebec bridge is still “very solid,” said Mr. Rodriguez. When painting the bridge, engineers will favor pieces of steel that are impossible or very difficult to replace to protect them from the elements. A portion of the budget will also be used for more “aesthetic” painting.
Last week, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos, announced that 30 years after selling it to Canadian National (CN), the federal government had finally reached an agreement with the railway company to take this bridge, one of the two road links that connect Lévis to the capital.
Important works
The bridge built in 1917 must undergo major work. The Quebec Journal revealed four years ago that repainting the bridge could cost 559 million. The bill has likely only increased since then.
The federal government believes that taking over the bridge will simplify things. “We are going to give control of this critical infrastructure back to the people of Quebec,” assures Jean-Yves Duclos.
The Quebec government “welcomed” the agreement. Quebec has an agreement until 2032 to use the bridge deck for automobile transport. “We have a right of first refusal if we ever want to take it back […] We will not exercise our right of first refusal. We will not take back the bridge,” said the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault.
Made of nickel alloy steel, it was the longest clear span bridge in the world at the time of its construction. It was officially opened by the Prince of Wales — the future King Edward VIII — in 1919.
Originally designed as a railway bridge, the Quebec Bridge today includes three road lanes and a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists. It remains the longest cantilever bridge ever built, spanning 549 meters between the main piers, for a total length of 987 meters and a height of 95 meters.