(Quebec) The construction of a third highway link between Quebec and Lévis will be “irreversible” for the next government, even if it opposes the project, believes Geneviève Guilbault, due to agreements signed with companies. We still don’t know how much it will cost.
Posted at 10:16 a.m.
Updated at 11:13 a.m.
She announced on Friday a notice of international interest, to find a private partner. What will it look like, where will it go and how much will it cost? We don’t know. François Legault wanted a bridge to the east, but it could be something else.
But at the end of this exercise, somewhere in the summer of 2026, “it will be irreversible”, launched the minister, since companies will have worked on the file. “We will have penalties if we put an end to this,” she added.
However, we still do not know where this bridge will pass, how much it will cost, and what the benefits will be for motorists. Another unknown: we also do not know if public transport will be planned on this structure, which could be in an area located east of the Quebec Bridge, and west of the tip of Île d’Orléans .
The minister herself admitted that, under the leadership of the CAQ, this controversial project experienced “tribulations”. Several versions of this project, in the form of a tunnel or bridge, have been abandoned in the past. She herself announced the death of the project, and its replacement by a public transport tunnel, which was quickly forgotten.
Which does not prevent him from becoming an apostle of rigor.
We cannot subordinate the rigor necessary in this type of project to electoral considerations.
Geneviève Guilbault, Minister of Transport
In this update, the Ministry of Transport attempted to give a facelift by renaming its project for a third highway link between Quebec and Lévis “new interrives link”, and specified the future schedule, which will lead, at the beginning of 2027, to upon signature of the contract and launch of the project development phase.
This bridge, which could also be a tunnel, will have to respect certain constraints: authorize transport by truck, improve fluidity – the ministry has refused to set quantified objectives. Minister Guilbault also affirmed that her teams would take into account the needs of the cruise ship industry, which requires clearance of nearly 70 meters in height.
Last June, François Legault officially announced the resurrection of the third motorway link, even if the Caisse de dépôt recommended against it. This does not prevent Quebec from drawing inspiration from the corridors analyzed by the CDPQ.
Corridor central
This corridor is located to the east of the existing bridges. On the South Shore, it has its source in the Saint-Romuald sector, it crosses the river over a distance of up to approximately 2.5 km and continues on the North Shore opposite the districts of Sillery, Bergerville and Saint-Sacrement. The distance between the connection points of the A-20 and the A40 is approximately 11 km.
Downtown to downtown corridor
This corridor is located to the east of the existing bridges facing Parliament Hill. On the South Shore, it has its source in the sector of the axis of route 173 (route du Président-Kennedy) and crosses the Desjardins sector. It crosses the river for a distance of up to 1.2 km, then continues on the North Shore towards the districts of Saint-Roch and Limoilou. The distance between the connection points of the A-20 and the A-973 is approximately 9 km.
Corridor to the East
This corridor is located between the city center to city center corridor and that of Île d’Orléans. On the South Shore, it extends from the area covering Monseigneur-Bourget and Lallemand roads. The corridor crosses the river for a distance of up to 3.5 km, then continues on the North Shore at the intersection of the A-440 Dufferin-Montmorency and Boulevard des Chutes.
Source : CDPQ Infra
