The partial closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel is not only giving motorists and employers headaches. The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) is concerned about the repercussions of the construction site for “goods” passing through the port, says its president and CEO Martin Imbleau.
Posted at 3:03 p.m.
“We are preparing for it in a serious way, he said on Monday, before the Canadian Club of Montreal. We are worried, but it is not so much for the port, but for essential goods and amenities in Quebec and Ontario. »
Approximately 2,500 trucks travel daily to the Port of Montreal and approximately 35 to 40% of this volume generally uses the tunnel to get there.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Martin Imbleau, President and CEO of the Port of Montreal
To limit the negative impact, Mr. Imbleau says the APM will provide the trucking industry with “real time” data on wait times. He also hopes to “flatten the curve” of port attendance in order to stimulate traffic outside peak hours, after 5 p.m.
The leader of the APM delivered these remarks as part of a speech that revolved around the theme of supply chains.
The major repair of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel began in July 2020, but it turned out to be much more deteriorated than expected. The vault would in particular have 60% more damage. Quebec estimates the cost overruns that will be generated by the work in the tunnel at around 900 million. Three lanes out of six will be closed until 2025. Thus, two lanes will remain open towards Montreal, and only one towards the South Shore.