The five speakers who came to speak to the Public Hearing Office on the Environment, Monday evening in Beauport, all confirmed their support for the bridge project connecting Île d’Orléans to the mainland. However, some have raised concerns about the consequences of the project on the river’s fragile ecosystem.
The new infrastructure is to replace the steel bridge that has linked the island sung by Félix Leclerc and Beauport since 1935. Work is due to start in 2022 for commissioning scheduled for 2027.
The construction site of the new bridge is right in a nursery area for striped bass, a disappeared fish, then reintroduced into the waters of the river in the early 2000s. The species is now considered endangered.
According to the Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ), the jetties necessary for the construction of the piers, pylons and abutments of the cable-stayed structure will not affect the spawning grounds.
“The main south pylon of the new bridge is at the outer margin of this spawning ground,” said Frédéric Pellerin, MTQ representative, to the commission chaired by Michel Germain.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada must approve the project before it can proceed. The demand for compensatory measures to mitigate the effects of the works on local fauna is not excluded, explained the representative of the federal agency, Dominic Boula. He also mentioned that the project will be the subject of an impact assessment study, because the bridge touches federal lands.
A handful of stakeholders raised concerns about the project on Monday evening.
For Jocelyn Labbé, the planned cable-stayed bridge is too expensive. “I’m not going to foot the bill, given my age,” said the man with the white beard. He believes that a smaller bridge would cost less than the $ 100 million currently set aside for building the new bridge and dismantling the old one.
Guy Boivin, another citizen, asked if it was possible to keep the bridge currently in place to dedicate it to cycling and walking.
The MTQ rejects this request. The restoration of the old bridge and its maintenance would cost “several, several million dollars”, insisted its representative, Frédéric Pellerin. The ministry probed the interest of surrounding municipalities: none were prepared to shoulder the financial burden.
The new bridge will therefore have a traffic lane on each side and a 3-meter-wide cycle lane for the passage of bicycles and pedestrians.