It is a new version of the third link between Quebec and Lévis which will be presented by the summer, with a separate tunnel for public transport, and a stepped tunnel for vehicles which will exclude heavy transport.
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The information first reported by Radio-Canada was confirmed by our Parliamentary Office early this morning.
Thus, a tunnel dedicated solely to public transit will make it easier to obtain a share of funding from the federal government.
The mode of transport could be an electric bus as originally planned, but could also be a tram.
The tunnel for vehicles would be three meters high, it was learned, and would drive cars south on one floor and north on the other floor.
This model is inspired by the Duplex tunnel, inaugurated in Paris in 2011.
The transport of heavy goods would be prohibited in the tunnel.
According to our information, the steep slope approaching Lévis is the reason for this choice.
Trucks should therefore continue to travel on the bridges to the west.
In the last few days, the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, spoke about the vagueness of the place reserved for vehicles in her tunnel project. However, she insisted on the impact that the 3e link on the public transport offer.
“The third link, we must remember that its objective is to have a public transport offer from city center to city center which currently does not exist”, argued the Deputy Prime Minister, on 23 last March.
Last week, Prime Minister François Legault assured that he remains “determined to make a 3rd link”.
Confronted with several rumours, Minister Guilbault, who promises an update on the project “before the summer, certainly”, let it float that “the current project [celui présenté en avril 2022]that’s it: it’s the twin tube, cars, public transport”.
– With the collaboration of Marc-André Gagnon, Parliamentary Office