Ottawa officially becomes owner of the Quebec Bridge again

The federal government will formalize the acquisition of the Quebec Bridge from the Canadian National Railway Company (CN), - has learned.

The Minister of Public Services and Supply and Lieutenant of Quebec, Jean-Yves Duclos, must make the announcement on Tuesday. According to our information, the conditions for returning the Quebec Bridge to the federal government have been met.

Last May, the Trudeau government announced an agreement with CN. The Prime Minister also confirmed the amounts allocated by his government to the maintenance of the bridge: $40 million will be invested annually over the next 25 years to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure.

The management of the Quebec bridge, purchased by Ottawa for a symbolic amount of $1, as well as its rehabilitation will be entrusted to the federal Crown corporation Les Ponts Jacques Cartier et Champlain Incorporée (PJCCI). A committee made up of stakeholders from the business community, experts and citizens interested in preserving the bridge – the Consultative Group for the Safeguarding of the Quebec Bridge – will support the new manager.

CN remains responsible for the rail corridor, while the Quebec government continues to manage the road and the bridge’s bicycle path.

Long saga

This agreement could mark the end of a long and stormy chapter in the history of the Quebec Bridge.

Privatized in 1993, the bridge has since been the property of the CNwho managed it.

The dilapidation, lack of maintenance and visible rust on the steel structure of the bridge have caused much discussion since.

CN had renewed its lease with Quebec in the fall of 2022 for the use of the bridge’s road deck. The agreement amounts to nearly $100 million over 10 years, transferable in the event of a change of ownership.

Lehouillier satisfied

Qualifying the announcement as great example of collective successthe mayor of Lévis, Gilles Lehouillier, does not fail to salute the work of Minister Duclos who really set foot in the stirrup to definitively settle the matter.

And the fact that the PJCCIa federal Crown corporation, is entrusted with its management? For us, this is good newssaid the elected official, recalling the poor state of the infrastructure.

The Quebec Bridge is truly a bridge of great heritage value […] It is a bit like the soul of the capital, the soul of the link between the two shores.

I’m especially looking forward to the announcement of the start of work to repaint it and restore it to its former glory! says Mayor Lehouillier.

To restore the nobility of the Quebec Bridge, it seems to me that it sends a beautiful message that the past will propel us towards the futurehe breathes, saying to himself a little emotional.

With information from Olivier Lemieux and the collaboration of François Pouliot