3rd link: the toll will depend on the federal government, according to Minister Bonnardel

If the Legault government is now considering a toll on the third link, it is because of the federal, described as "chilly" in the funding of this infrastructure of billions of dollars, says the Minister of Transport of Quebec.

François Bonnardel caused the commotion Monday by being open, on the airwaves of QUB radio, to make pay the users of the future tunnel between Quebec and Lévis. In the past, the Legault government had always closed the door on a toll to fund the third link.

LISTEN to the interview of Minister of Transport François Bonnardel on QUB radio:

But scenarios on the financial package depend on whether the federal government participates or not, says Bonnardel. "If this is not the case, it should evaluate PPP options (note: public-private partnership)," he argues, while stating that no scenario is stopped for the moment.

"This is not an option that I prefer," said Mr. Bonnardel about the toll. Now it's my job to put all the options on the table. "

Announcement to come

At the end of June, the Minister announced that the famous third link, which has been the subject of debate for years in the Capitale-Nationale, will be a 6.5-kilometer tunnel (approximately 9 kilometers long with approaches). which will pass under the western tip of Île d'Orléans.

"After the announcement of the chosen route, (…) the work that we started to do is to evaluate all the options and the forms of financing possible, with the federal or not … and the Infrastructure bank too, explains Mr. Bonnardel. So, under these conditions, we had to be able to say: Where are we going? When we are going to be prepared and we will be ready to announce the costs of this project, we will be able to give you all the possible financing options. "

Unknown cost

The Legault government refuses for the moment to reveal the range of costs envisaged for the construction of the third link. Several factors remain to be determined, it is argued, including the number of lanes in the tunnel.

A study by Professor Bruno Massicotte estimated such a work at $ 4 billion in 2016. The mayor of Quebec, Régis Labeaume, has already advanced the amount of $ 10 billion.

More details will follow …