Studies on the 3rde The link, expected earlier this year, will be favorable for the CAQ project, predicts Solidarity MP Étienne Grandmont, who remains convinced that building a tunnel will worsen the increase in traffic seen in Quebec.
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Last week, Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault confirmed that she was “about to receive” her “first information” on the studies launched a few months ago on the 3rd Link project, about which very little information has been leaked so far, except that the double tube maximum is expected to cost $6.5 billion.
“This is one of my top priorities for the year,” said the Deputy Prime Minister last Wednesday.
This is also an issue Québec Solidaire wants to continue attacking against Québec. “We can’t wait to see what’s in there,” said QS transport spokesman Etienne Grandmont of upcoming studies.
QS has no illusions
But the member for Taschenreau makes no fuss. In fact, it would be quite surprising if the CAQ backed out of its flagship commitment, put forward almost ten years ago, in 2013, to build a tunnel between Quebec and Lévis.
“I assume that the studies for the 3rd link will be favorable,” believes Mr. Grandmont.
“I await studies that confirm that we need a third link, according to the CAQ, but at the cost of very, very large moral contortions,” he added.
Why? Because the CAQ government gave the “very clear mandate” to create a third link “at any price”, explained Mr. Grandmont. Even Environment Minister Benoit Charette indicated that the project would go ahead “regardless of what the environmental studies say,” said the Taschenreau MP.
Nevertheless, the available studies and most experts are already pointing in the same direction: “There is no way to rationally justify this project,” regrets Mr. Grandmont.
More traffic
In addition, the addition of a tunnel will only add to traffic increases already observed on certain Quebec highways, such as those reported Monday in the pages of the Journal de Quebec.
“It doesn’t surprise me that we have so much traffic on the roads today, we could have predicted that. We knew the pandemic would end. We knew teleworking was not a panacea,” responded Mr. Grandmont.
“What we do know, however, is […] that public transport remains the real solution to reducing the number of cars circulating on our roads today,” reiterated the supporting MEP.
“After all, if we build a third link, in 5, 10 years we will have even more cars on our roads, especially on the already very congested Félix-Leclerc motorway,” warns the MP for Taschenreau. The 3rd link is a bad idea, we will add cars!”
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