Coastal erosion and submersion are no longer in doubt in Pointe-aux-Anglais and elected officials are asking the provincial government to act to protect this hamlet of around a hundred inhabitants attached to the City of Port-Cartier. In 5 to 10 years, Route 138 could deviate from its current course by 11.1 km for this purpose.
We hope that the experts from the Coastal Erosion and Submergence Project Office will look into the matter as soon as possible.
“We are asking that the government loosen the purse strings so that the Office can make a game plan and explain to us what the impacts will be on people,” indicates the mayor of Port-Cartier, Alain Thibault.
The file is not new. “We had already had meetings with the Ministry of Transport (MTQ) between 2009 and 2013 concerning the bypass of Route 138, in the section between not far from the Pentecost River to the other side of Pointe-aux- English,” recalls Mr. Thibault.
Other meetings have taken place since, but the mayor now wants to see MTQ representatives arrive, sooner rather than later.
“There was a preliminary route, but before we decide on a final route, we must consult the citizens. The ministry must hold public consultations as quickly as possible.”
The preliminary route crossed several private lots. “There is a farm that has development projects, will the road pass through its agricultural land? People draw their drinking water from the streams crossed by the 138. Drinking water is already a problem in this area…It creates insecurity! “, cites the mayor as an example.
We tried to stem certain problems. “There was work done, collaboration between the MTQ and the ZIP. They tried to channel streams, it was a bit of “trial and error” in order to protect the mouths of the culverts. It was worth a try, but it was not a success,” says Mr. Thibault. Hence the outstretched hand to the Coastal Erosion and Submergence Project Office.
The timeline is not known. “The relocation of the 138 is within a 5 to 10 year horizon, but with 2 or 3 big storms, you lose a portion of the 138, that can speed things up. Whatever happens, we must prepare well and inform our citizens, consult them!”
The status quo is not an option. “I have no idea how long it might take, a study by the Coastal Erosion and Submergence Project Office, but as it is the responsibility of all the ministries concerned, we are counting on them to take charge of the file and come up with concrete and socially acceptable solutions,” concludes Alain Thibault.
The Office in brief
The Office of Projects and Coastal Erosion and Submersion reports to 4 ministries (Municipal Affairs and Housing; Public Security; Transport and Sustainable Mobility;
Environment, Fight against climate change, Wildlife and Parks).
One of its mandates is “to increase government support for the municipal sector, which is grappling with this problem (erosion and submersion).
The office can also “produce portraits of the issues and problems of coastal erosion and submersion and define intervention plans (…) including resilience and adaptation measures based on expertise and scientific analyses. ”
It covers all coastal areas of maritime Quebec.
