No study. No budget. No timeline. And above all, no need.
But too bad ! The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) is doing it again from the last elections by promising a 3e highway link between Quebec and Lévis, without even examining an infinitely less expensive option that would do the job very well.
It’s not all serious.
By wanting to please voters in a few ridings in the Quebec region at all costs, the CAQ is further undermining its credibility in the eyes of the entire population, who are not fooled.
The saddest thing is that the government had mandated CDPQ Infra to study the issue of mobility in the Quebec region, in all its aspects.
The subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec met with 172 stakeholders and reviewed more than 1,000 studies carried out over 50 years. She studied the needs of the region, looking at population growth. She reviewed all the options to arrive at an overall plan that focuses on the tram and rapid bus service (SRB).
This clever plan minimizes costs while reducing negative impacts, such as tree cutting. Divided into several phases, it responds to the most urgent needs, without losing sight of the challenges of the future. It is fortunate that the CAQ agrees to move forward with the first phase.
In fact, the Caisse did exactly the kind of complete and rigorous analysis that one must conduct before launching a major infrastructure project.
Its sensible approach contrasts with the amateurism shown by the CAQ by committing to building a highway bridge between the two banks, while the Caisse’s study determines that this is not necessary.
The traffic just doesn’t justify it. The new bridge would only reduce travel times by five minutes. Ultimately, congestion would be shifted elsewhere on the road network.
No matter, the CAQ is putting the pedal to the metal. She rushes without a road map.
There will be a bridge, no matter the cost. The Prime Minister limits himself to saying that he will try to carry out the project “as cheaply as possible” without setting a budget limit for his 3e bond whose previous incarnation was valued at $10 billion.
No question of doing a new study. “I think there has been enough,” said François Legault.
After having cobbled together a crazy “bridge per million inhabitants” index to justify the previous version of 3e link, the CAQ now explains that this is a question of “economic security”.
This is because there is no alternative for the 10,500 trucks that use the Pierre-Laporte bridge daily, except in Trois-Rivières. If the bridge were to close suddenly, it would be “hellish and catastrophic,” says Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault… adding at the same time that the bridge is in good condition.
If the issue is so serious, how can we explain that the previous version of 3e link did not allow the passage of trucks, because of the too steep slope of the tunnel?
And if the transport of goods keeps the CAQ from sleeping, why not lower the deck of the Quebec Bridge by four feet, which is still good for 75 years? This would create sufficient height for the passage of trucks which used it in another era.
It is surprising, to say the least, that the Prime Minister has never heard of this option that the federal minister for the Quebec riding, Jean-Yves Duclos, wisely put forward.
It’s a solution as big as an 18-wheeler.
Even if Ottawa has just purchased the Quebec bridge, Quebec remains responsible for the deck which must be redone quickly, anyway. In 2020, the work was estimated at 200 million. Lowering the deck would certainly cost more, but the bill would be infinitely lower than building a brand new bridge.
And let’s not forget, there are many obstacles to the construction of a new bridge, notably because of the depth of the St. Lawrence River and the encroachment on agricultural land and wetlands, as pointed out the box.
In fact, the 3e lien is a vast urban sprawl project, at a time when we must find ways to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG).
This is a huge expense, when it would take 20 billion just to upgrade our road network full of holes.
It is a gigantic project that will siphon off the manpower we lack to carry out the numerous infrastructure projects like those of Hydro-Québec.
In a context where the province is posting a record deficit, Quebec must choose its projects with the greatest care.
Let’s not throw billions down the drain by building a new bridge. But anyway, who really believes in this project drawn on a napkin?