Guilbault gets $275 million to make third link bridge-tunnel irreversible
Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
peterblack@qctonline.com
Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault has said on several occasions her goal is to make the “third link” project ir- reversible.
With an election slated for October next year that polls suggest may oust the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government, the window is closing for Guilbault to push the bridge- tunnel plan past the point of no return.
Last week, according to several media reports confirmed by Guilbault’s office, the CAQ cabinet approved $275 million in funding to allow the minister to move forward on the project, one the government has revised, cancelled and then revived again, arguing that a third bridge is necessary for economic and security reasons.
A spokesperson for the minister said the money accorded Guilbault was already in the 2019 infrastructure budget and not “new money.”
In June, Guilbault announced the government’s recommended route for the proposed link, a bridge from Autoroute 40 in Lévis to be connected to a tunnel to be bored somewhere in the Cap Diamant area on the North Shore and exiting to connect with either Boul. Pierre-Bertrand or Autoroute Robert-Bourassa.
At the time of her announce- ment of the route, Guilbault said, “In my mind, I want to make the project irreversible before the next election, and therefore protect it from the outcome of the next election.
“We’re no longer in the ‘for or against’ debate about the third link. We need to create a third link, and I’m working on how to complete it as quickly as possible. We’re going to create the best project at the best price.”
Guilbault said she will reveal more details on the route and the projected cost sometime in the fall. A recent Radio-Canada report cited experts who have pegged the cost of building the third link at between $5.3 and $9.3 billion, not including many associated costs.
The federal government has distanced itself from the project and possible financ- ing. Minister of Government Services and Procurement Joël Lightbound, the MP for Louis-Hébert, said at the time of Guilbault’s route announcement, “The federal government’s position doesn’t really change, because there isn’t a project that has really been put forward.”
In the past, the federal Liberals have said a third link project that gave priority to car and truck traffic as opposed to public transit would not be eligible for funding.
The quarter-billion dollars accorded Guilbault for the third link raised the ire of the Opposition Quebec Liberal Party. In a statement to the QCT, Monsef Derraji, critic for transport, said, “At a time when Quebec is facing serious financial challenges, it’s hard to justify allocating $275 million to a third-link project that lacks a clear route, timeline, or solid scientific backing.”
He said, “While the CAQ government is making cuts to health and education, it is pouring hundreds of millions into a project with no proven necessity. This isn’t just poor planning – it’s a matter of misplaced priorities.”
Radio-Canada also uncovered concrete evidence the third link project is advancing on the ground. It reported geotechnical drilling to determine the quality and composition of the ground is to be done on some 50 sites on both the south and north shores, as well as in the St. Lawrence River itself. The work started in early July and is expected to be completed in September.
The $46-million contract for the work was awarded in February to a consortium comprising French, American and Canadian engineering firms.