They say that ridicule doesn’t kill. In any case, I can tell you that it completely throws me to the ground when I hear comments like those of Éric Duhaime when he talks about the construction not of one bridge, but of two bridges at Isle of Orléans. One with six lanes on the south side and another with four lanes next to the new bridge. Ridiculousness doesn’t kill, and Mr. Duhaime looks in perfect health. Go figure something out.
And how will this bridge be connected on the south side? Obviously, by a six-lane highway which will join the bridges on the north side, where it is assumed that there will be a major interchange.
The island already has a major scar, a gift from Hydro-Québec, which built in the early 1970s a huge transmission line from Manicouagan which had been so criticized by the island population and by Quebec in general that this territory had been declared national property.
Should we remind the Duhaimes and a few others that this place is an emblematic place of Quebec, that it is the cradle of French America, that it is the reservoir of more than 300 original families who have spread throughout America to give more than 4 million descendants.
It is also a place steeped in history, legends and architectural heritage. More than 600,000 visitors come there every year to soak up this exceptional heritage, and now we want to build a six-lane highway and build two other bridges. It’s enough to make Felix turn over in his grave.
Île d’Orléans is a mythical and emblematic place in Quebec. I hope that the islanders and Quebec as a whole will not get involved in these absurd and rambling ideas that Mr. Duhaime is putting forward.
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