(Lévis) “A kind of highway” would cross Île d’Orléans to connect its two bridges, according to the route of the third link proposed by the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Éric Duhaime. The leader of the Coalition avenir Québec, François Legault, had accused him the day before without naming him of wanting to disfigure the landscape.
Posted at 10:43 a.m.
“We will not arrive in the wild,” assured Mr. Duhaime, Monday during a press conference on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Lévis. He promises consultations, but recalls in the same breath that “social acceptability” does not mean “unanimity”.
The Conservative leader who hopes to elect his first deputies in the Quebec region attacked François Legault and Minister Éric Caire, who is seeking a new mandate in the La Peltrie region. The latter had promised in an interview with FM93 to resign if the construction of the third link was not started during the first CAQ mandate.
The route proposed by the Conservatives would include “a kind of highway that will pass through the field and which will lead from one apron to another,” he said. It would use the existing bridge, which connects the north shore of Quebec to the island. A second cable-stayed bridge would be built to the south. The two infrastructures would be connected by this highway.
The PCQ estimates the cost of the project at $3 billion, below the $6.5 billion planned for the tunnel project consisting of two separate tubes proposed by the CAQ. During the 2018 election campaign, the formation of François Legault had promised the start of construction of a bridge in a first term. Once elected, his government instead opted for a tunnel that would be completed in 2032.
The construction of a bridge faces opposition from the mayors of the municipalities on Île d’Orléans. Éric Duhaime believes that it is high time for the citizens of the Quebec region to have a third bridge, the other two being congested at rush hour. He promised consultations and financial compensation for residents along the route.