The governments of Quebec and Canada announced a joint investment of $163.5 million for the planning phase of the structuring electric transportation project between west of Gatineau and downtown Ottawa.
The amounts granted by the Government of Quebec, $98.1 million, and the Government of Canada, $65.4 million, will be used to continue studies related to the Quebec portion of the project. These include the environmental impact assessment, the preliminary design, as well as planning activities related to the engineering of the preparatory works. Their conclusions will be used to determine, in particular, the number and location of stations as well as the choice of rolling stock, and to specify the schedule and potential cost for the construction of the project.
The project
The structuring electric transportation project currently being planned aims to connect the west of the city of Gatineau to its downtown area as well as to that of the city of Ottawa. Two routes are being analyzed for the Quebec portion of the project:
- the northern axis, which includes Vanier Road, then Plateau and Saint-Raymond Boulevards;
- the southern axis, which includes the boulevards des Allumettières and Wilfrid-Lavigne, then the chemin d’Aylmer.
From the intersection of Saint-Raymond and Alexandre-Taché boulevards, these two axes will share a common section, which will continue on Alexandre-Taché and Lucerne boulevards, then on Laurier Street. It will cross the Ottawa River via the Portage Bridge and end on the Ottawa side.
According to Edmond Leclerc, vice-president of the board of directors of the Société de transport de l’Outaouais, the first calls for tenders should be launched over the next twelve months.
Sources: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and Infrastructure Canada
