The extension of Route 138 to connect the communities of the Lower North Shore to the rest of Quebec is still slow to come to fruition, while the evaluation of the costs of this important road project has jumped over the years. The Legault government, however, affirms that this project is “a priority”, and, for Hydro-Québec, the road could be a crucial issue for the construction of a dam on the Petit Mécatina river.
“We have been talking about the extension of Route 138 for a long time,” summarizes the general director of the MRC du Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent, Karine Monger. And his observation on the progress of the work is clear: “the cruising speed leaves a lot to be desired”.
There still seems to be a long way to go before the end of any work that would connect Blanc-Sablon to the rest of Quebec by road, an objective already set in the first version of the Plan Nord of the liberal government of Jean Charest in 2011.
Overall, the project to extend Route 138, which arrived in Kegaska in 2013, would require adding no less than 400 kilometers to reach Vieux-Fort, which is linked by road to Blanc-Sablon. However, according to the data provided to Duty by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTMD), only two sections are currently under construction, for a total of approximately 86 kilometers. One portion will connect Kegaska and La Romaine, and the other Tête-à-la-Baleine and La Tabatière.
Deforestation work and construction of this unpaved road have already begun and are scheduled to continue in 2024 and 2025, for a final bill currently estimated at $695.5 million. This equates to an average of $8 million per kilometer.
Even once these sections are completed, the bulk will remain to be done, with at least 310 kilometers more to be built. Assuming an average maintained at $8 million per kilometer, the total cost of the extension could exceed $3.2 billion. For comparison, the Quebec government estimated the costs at around $1 billion 10 years ago.
However, the MTMD is not commenting on the amount of the bill, since it is currently working on an update of the “opportunity study” for the portions of the road between La Romaine and Tête-à-la-Baleine. and between La Tabatière and Vieux-Fort. “This update is necessary since the last studies were carried out more than 10 years ago,” specifies the ministry. In this context, “it is too early to assess the cost and schedule of the work. This amount will be specified at the end of the business file.
One thing is certain, the construction challenges are numerous and the costs are “significant” in this vast region far from major centers. “The Basse-Côte-Nord region is characterized by low mountainous terrain with a very developed hydrographic network. There is an alternation of basins and hills and also some plains. This random mixture of rock mounds and organic and clay deposits throughout the route makes the design more complex,” explains the MTMD. And several bridges are needed.
Isolated communities
Karine Monger and the Bloc MP for Manicouagan, Marilène Gill, also recognize that the construction of this road, which has been promised for several years, is technically complex. But they insist on the need to complete the project, which would help bring the region and its citizens out of their isolation.
“Transport is a constant problem,” laments Mme Gill. “There are several communities that are isolated, prisoners and dependent, whether for travel by plane or boat,” adds M.me Monger. This is the case, for example, if a person wants to travel for pleasure, for work or for a medical appointment. We are always at the mercy of a carrier. We can never move on our own. By plane or by boat, it is always the carrier who decides the time of departure. »
We are always at the mercy of a carrier. We can never move on our own. By plane or by boat, it is always the carrier who decides the time of departure.
According to Karine Monger, the arrival of the road would therefore give “a certain autonomy” to citizens, in addition to opening the door to the development of tourism and the arrival of new inhabitants. Butme Gill also emphasizes that it will be necessary to ensure the protection of the territory, which is currently protected from industrial development, particularly mining.
Hydro-Québec, for its part, clearly needs Route 138 to consider building a hydroelectric complex on the Petit Mécatina river, whose mouth is located between Chevery and La Tabatière. The length of the road to be built, from Kegaska, would be around 230 kilometers, according to MTMD data.
Is it possible to carry out a large dam project without road access? “In terms of hydroelectric production, we are exploring several options,” responds the state-owned company. “We are only at the beginning of the preliminary study, there is still a way to go, and no hydroelectric installation project has been confirmed. If a project were to materialize, different access scenarios would be analyzed, in partnership with the stakeholders,” the official response also specifies.
In internal exchanges with Hydro-Québec’s communications department, which were sent in error to Duty, there is talk of the extension of Route 138, but the mention was removed from the response provided to us due to the sensitive nature of the matter. “A road would be built from one of the villages to get to the power stations, but for the extension of the 138, this was not planned in previous studies. Currently, a team is studying access scenarios, and the best option has not yet been identified,” specifies a development project manager in an email.
The Legault government, for its part, assures that the extension is an important project for Quebec. “The extension of Route 138 in the Côte-Nord region remains a priority and meets the development objectives of the northern territory. We want to connect the localities of the region in order to open them up and facilitate travel to the rest of Quebec and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The analyzes are continuing,” indicates the office of the minister responsible for MTMD, Geneviève Guilbault.