(Quebec) Jean-Yves Duclos undermined the “economic security” argument invoked by François Legault to sell his third highway link by proposing to lower the deck of the Quebec bridge to allow transport by truck. This proposal did not come out of “a hat,” and numerous studies have been done on the subject, he reiterated Friday.
“If ever the government of Quebec needs the collaboration of the Canadian government to find these studies […], no problem, but these studies are studies of the government of Quebec, sometimes with the collaboration of Canadian National,” said Friday the federal MP for Quebec and Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
Thursday, François Legault, despite the unfavorable opinion of the CDPQ, announced the construction of a highway bridge between Quebec and Lévis. This infrastructure will not significantly improve mobility in the region, acknowledged the Prime Minister, but it would help solidify economic security in the event of the prolonged closure of the Pierre-Laporte bridge. It is currently the only bridge allowing the transport of goods in the region, he stressed.
Mr. Duclos’ proposal was greeted with skepticism by François Legault. “I find it funny that Mr. Duclos pulled that out of his hat. It seems to me that he could have talked about it before,” he said at a press briefing.
Mr. Duclos responded on Friday. He explained that his role in the purchase of the Quebec bridge by the federal government had put him in contact with many experts. He states, for example, that people at Quebec City told him that it had been known for a long time “that a change in the height of the deck could facilitate additional transportation that is not possible or permitted now.”
A 2014 study commissioned by the Capital Transport Network proposed, for example, lowering the deck of the Quebec Bridge to allow a tramway to operate there while maintaining automobile traffic, with a speed limit.
What changes the situation today, indicated Mr. Duclos, is that the federal government has regained possession of the Quebec bridge and is committed to ensuring its sustainability. “Transports Quebec engineers tell us that it can go to the -over 75 years old. […] Contrary to the legitimate concerns we had a few months ago, the Quebec Bridge is there for many, many decades,” said Mr. Duclos.
“The Quebec Bridge will once again become the property of the Government of Canada. Its future is safeguarded, we can now consider using it differently, which was impossible to do before,” said Mr. Duclos.
For its part, the Ministry of Transport of Quebec recognizes that trucking was authorized on the Quebec bridge until 1992, but affirms that “to allow the passage of trucks in a safe manner, one of the three lanes of the bridge permanently.” The ministry adds that the replacement of the deck is already in the planning phase; its lowering would not allow heavy trucking on three lanes of traffic.