(Lévis) François Legault will announce within “a few weeks” a new “proposal” for the highway tunnel project between Quebec and Lévis. He neither confirmed nor denied the possibility of building a tunnel devoted exclusively to public transport, in addition to a tunnel for automobiles.
“As I said, we have had new traffic studies done, including the impacts of teleworking, which reduces capacity. In a few weeks, [la ministre des Transports] Geneviève Guilbault is going to make a proposal, and we have nothing to add for the moment, ”launched the Premier of Quebec on Tuesday, on the sidelines of a press conference at the Davie shipyard in Lévis.
“I know you would like me to tell you today what we will tell you probably in a few weeks, but we will tell you in a few weeks,” he added.
In the morning, Radio-Canada reported that the highway tunnel project between Quebec and Lévis, which is already in its third version, could be significantly modified.
A tunnel would be reserved for the exclusive use of public transport, and potentially for the passage of a tramway. A second stepped tunnel would be intended exclusively for motorists. Trucks could not drive there.
These proposals would have been submitted during confidential meetings with employees of the City of Quebec and the City of Lévis.
twin pipe
Currently, the 6.5 billion plan provides for the construction of a “twin tube”, where each tunnel allowed the passage of motorists. For public transport, simple reserved lanes were to be set up during rush hour.
Would the federal government be more open to the idea of funding an infrastructure that is 100% dedicated to public transit? The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, who accompanied Mr. Legault in the press conference, did not want to get wet.
As always, we can’t wait to see the proposal.
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“We are always there to talk about projects that are important for local communities, we are there to invest particularly in public transit. We will continue to look at the projects that will be submitted to us,” said Mr. Trudeau.
He added that “people are beginning to understand how well our two governments are working together to deliver important projects for Quebecers and for the good of Canada.”
The first official announcement of the CAQ government in this file, in May 2021, proposed a single 8.3 km tunnel which would be close to 10 billion dollars. A year later, in the spring of 2022, the Legault government presented a twin-tube project at 6.5 billion. Before his election, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) advocated a bridge at the height of Île d’Orléans.
Last week, after the tabling of a provincial budget which did not propose any additional sum for this project, François Legault had defended himself from abandoning it, as suspected by the opposition parties.
“I’m still determined to make a third link, ”assured the Prime Minister. However, his government can no longer guarantee that the estimated cost of the project will not exceed 6.5 billion.
Improvisation
The subject caused a reaction in the National Assembly, where the opposition parties criticized the “improvisation” of the CAQ. “Transportation science is not improvisation. We follow the process, we do a needs study, an opportunity study. We do not make people work to make projects according to the wind, improvised ”, railed the united deputy of Taschereau, Étienne Grandmont.
The Minister of Transport retorted that it is necessary “to make the difference between the hearsay reported in the newspapers”, although they are “sometimes founded depending on the projects”. Like Mr. Legault, Geneviève Guilbault asks them to take their troubles patiently.
The PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, noted for his part that it is “the nature of the project which is called into question” by the Legault government, which “is not necessarily a bad thing”. But already, he has a request: “if there are two tubes, then there is one by car then the other by public transport, well, we would like to know the price of each tube”.
As for the Liberal leader, Marc Tanguay, he said he was “looking forward to talking about something concrete”.