A tunnel worth more than 7 billion between Quebec and Lévis

(Quebec) After years of speculation, the government of François Legault shows its cards: the tunnel between Quebec and Lévis will take 10 years to build and must cost between 7 and 9 billion dollars.

“It's like a wager that we make in the greater Quebec City region. […] It is important in a State to have a metropolis, but also to have a second, a third, a fourth large city that is developing”, launched the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, during a major press conference.

The government presented its Réseau express de la Capitale (REC). This broad strategy to reduce congestion provides for a motorway tunnel between the two cities – the famous “third link” –, but also the widening of several motorways in the capital to add 100 km of reserved lanes, as well as the construction of the tramway.

Already, several environmental groups have fired red balls on the project. They are also preparing their response and the launch this Tuesday of a national campaign "No to the third link".

But at the announcement at the Quebec City Convention Center, the government repeated that this project was unavoidable. The Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel, seemed relieved to finally make this announcement on which he has been working for months.

The mayor of Lévis was all smiles. "Today is the best day of my political career", swore Gilles Lehouillier, who speaks of a project "bearing for the next 100 years".

“This plan will propel the national capital of Quebec to the rank of the great capitals of the whole world! “, to launch the mayor of the South Shore.

The tunnel even received support, albeit less enthusiastic, from the mayor of Quebec. "We agree with the new route because it connects to two tram stations," said Régis Labeaume.

Federal aid?

The tunnel is the most important piece of the REC. The 8.3 km structure would be the longest highway tunnel in North America. By way of comparison, the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel in Montreal is 1.9 km long.

It must connect Autoroute 20, at Route Monseigneur-Bourget, to Autoroute Laurentienne, at Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel, near the Videotron Centre. The preparatory work will begin in 2022. But the entry into service of the work is not planned before 2031.

The government has announced a tunnel that will cost between 6 and 7 billion. But he warns that “related costs” will have to be added. It could ultimately cost nearly 9.5 billion.

“At this stage of the project, the margin of uncertainty for these costs remains high. The Ministry of Transport estimates that the amount associated with these reserves and fees will be between 10% and 35% of the construction cost,” the government said.

François Legault says he is aware that "people will say: it's a lot of money". But it is, according to him, an “absolutely necessary” project.

"We have a problem right now because we only have two bridges built side by side and one of them is very old," said François Legault. The Quebec Bridge has a life expectancy of “a few decades,” added Mr. Bonnardel.

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However, the government did not provide journalists on Monday with the tunnel traffic models, nor an opportunity study. Quebec simply indicates that 50,000 to 55,000 cars could use the new highway under the river every day.

According to recent forecasts from the Institut de la statistique du Québec, the active population of Chaudière-Appalaches – aged 20 to 64 – will shrink by around 10% by 2041. But the mayor of Lévis recalled that the Pierre-Laporte bridge was at full capacity during rush hour.

The Legault government intends to request “significant” aid from the federal government, both for the tunnel and the reserved lanes in the suburbs. It does not usually finance highways, but Quebec argues that the tunnel has two lanes reserved for buses.

No toll

The tunnel provides two underground stations – Parliament Hill and Jean-Paul-L'Allier – where buses can dump commuters. They will then have the option of taking the tram.

In Quebec, motorists will have the choice of two exits, that of boulevard Hamel, but also another to join the Dufferin-Montmorency highway. There will be no toll, said the Prime Minister.

The tunnel will have three lanes per direction which will be superimposed. One lane in each direction will be reserved for public transport, i.e. electric buses.

The government also announced the establishment of 100 km of reserved lanes on the capital's highways, in particular Félix-Leclerc, Henri-IV, Robert-Bourassa and Laurentienne. The highways will be widened, and “no lanes will be taken away from motorists”.

These traffic lanes will be reserved for buses, but also for carpooling. The government is also considering allowing them access to electric cars. These lanes must cost 844 million to put in place.

Reactions to the announcement were unsurprisingly mixed. The chambers of commerce of Quebec and Lévis hailed her. But several experts and environmentalists say they are worried.

“This project reminds me of the projects of the 1970s when highways were being built all the more. But now, we know the impacts on urban sprawl and the costs that society must pay for these choices,” laments Marie-Hélène Vandersmissen, director of the geography department at Université Laval.

Alexandre Turgeon, Director General of the Regional Council for the Environment (CRE) of the Capitale-Nationale, believes "there is no need to invest so many billions for so few motorists". “We are asking for a federal environmental assessment,” adds Mr. Turgeon.

The Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) is concerned about the pressure of urban sprawl on agricultural land on the South Shore. "The location of the southern end of the future tunnel does not correspond to the route of least impact and opens the door much too wide to urbanization in an area currently reserved for agriculture", declared in a press release the general president of the UPA, Marcel Groleau.

A sub-river saga

1968

The idea of ​​a third link is not new. The first Vandry-Jobin report recommended as early as 1968 the construction of a new bridge or tunnel. However, the authors relied on overly generous demographic forecasts, which never materialized.

2000

At the turn of the 2000s, the committee for the sub-fluvial link east of Lévis-Québec commissioned a study from the firm Tecsult. This recommends a route to the east, saying it fears that a direct link will have “too serious consequences for city centers”.

2016

The government of Philipe Couillard mandates an expert from Polytechnique to study the construction of a tunnel. Professor Bruno Massicotte estimates that it would cost 4 billion to build. He had then chosen a route further east.

2017

In March 2017, in view of the looming provincial elections, François Legault made the third link an electoral promise. “Studies must be done quickly and this must be done in the next term,” says the leader of the Coalition avenir Québec. For their part, the Liberals want to wait for studies before deciding.

2019

During an announcement in June, the Minister of Transport announced that the route of the third link to the east, near Île d'Orléans, was preferred. But François Bonnardel indicates that his ministry is still studying the “city center to city center” option. The project is not encrypted.

2020

Change of course in government. François Bonnardel is now talking about a tunnel between city centers. He still does not quantify the project. But he assures that he will attach himself to the tramway that the City of Quebec intends to deploy.