After torpedoing it in April 2023, Premier François Legault announced on Thursday that he was reviving the third Quebec-Levis highway link, even though the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) doesn’t see its relevance.
“For reasons of economic security, our government is committed to building a new highway link between Quebec City and Levis,” Legault said at a news conference. “Taking a step back, we realize that the economic security issue is very important.”
On Tuesday, Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault seemed to set the table, declaring on X that it would be “irresponsible to have only one link allowing the transportation of goods in eastern Quebec,” namely the Pierre-Laporte Bridge.
Legault also announced his support for the first phase of tramway deployment, which was put forward by the CDPQ.
On Wednesday, Quebec’s pension plan manager (the CDPQ) unveiled its “CITÉ Plan,” which recommended a tramway project, a bus rapid transit system, reserved lanes and a tunnel under the river between Quebec City and Levis, but which would be reserved solely for a tramway line.
The total cost would be $15.5 billion over 15 years.
Furthermore, according to the CDPQ, there is no justification from a mobility point of view for the construction of a third highway link, notably because it would only displace congestion and bring marginal time savings for motorists.
The issue of mobility in Quebec City has been the subject of debate for several years. Various administrations have put forward projects, but to date, transportation solutions in the Quebec City region are still a long way off.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 13, 2024.