Improving mobility and traffic flow between Quebec and Lévis, both on the two current bridges and with a possible third connection, is officially part of the mandate given by the government to the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) to establish a structuring of public transport project.
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After discussions with the City of Quebec, a mandate letter was officially sent to the CDPQ on Monday.
As announced at the end of a summit between Prime Minister François Legault and Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand on November 8, the Caisse will have six months to present “a proposal” for network structuring. This period begins with the submission of the “available studies” to the Caisse by the Ministry of Transport, the City of Quebec and its project office.
All modes of transport are analyzed. The Legault government has already mentioned that Mayor Marchand’s Plan B for the tram will be one of the options to be examined. However, the area studied will extend well beyond the boundaries of Quebec City and cover the entire territory of the Quebec metropolitan region.
After a review with the office of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Minister Geneviève Guilbault, the government wanted the fund to “explore inter-river mobility,” which includes “the two current connections and a possible new connection” between Quebec and Lévis.
The government wants to continue to consult the population, as the Prime Minister announced the day after his defeat in Jean-Talon. This process will take place “in parallel,” we told our parliamentary office.
The engagement letter states that CDPQ Infra recommends the solution(s) that:
- identify a structural transportation project to improve public transportation for Quebec City;
- Improving mobility and fluidity in the Quebec metropolitan region, particularly between the two coasts.
“To fulfill this mission, CDPQ Infra will draw on the experience and expertise of its teams in analyzing and planning large transport projects in Quebec and elsewhere in the world, relying on the collaboration established with the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility “The city of Quebec is essential,” said Jean-Marc Arbaud, president and CEO of CDPQ Infra, in a press release.
According to Le Journal, the Marchand government’s overall involvement in drafting this mandate was limited. The city was able to make some comments, but nothing more. The media also received a copy of the mandate letter from the city and its project office.
Duhaime smokes
“It is not the job of the Caisse de dépôt to give the CAQ a vision regarding automobile transport between the north coast and the south coast of Quebec,” responded Conservative Party leader Éric Duhaime.
The advocate for a third bridge between Quebec and Lévis also criticizes the government for replacing Quebec drivers and taxpayers with “Montreal civil servants,” i.e. those from the Caisse.
“It is not up to a public body responsible for growing Quebecers’ nest eggs to write the 3rd link proposals for the next CAQ congress. […] The CAQ no longer has any vision or credibility after more than five years of lies about the 3rd link,” commented Mr. Duhaime on the social network X.
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