Third link: CAQ government announces a new corridor further west

With less than a year and a half to go until the next election, the CAQ government is once again dangling the prospect of a new corridor for a possible third link — or as it’s known as the troisième lien — project, without providing any specific details on potential costs.

The corridor chosen by Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault is further west, and therefore closer to the two existing bridges, than the previous routes proposed in the past.

A third link to the east would cost more, according to the minister. The project would be a bridge-tunnel. Freight trucks will be able to use it, and there will be space for public transit.

“It’s a mess.”

However, many gray areas remain after the minister’s press briefing on Thursday.

The precise route and the “target budget” are expected to be unveiled this fall. It’s worth noting that the government’s most recent deficit stands at $13.6 billion.

Asked about the time savings for South Shore motorists crossing at Quebec City, the minister replied that it was “obvious” that they would “save time.”

Guilbault reiterated the argument of economic security. “If the Pierre Laporte Bridge closes right now, it’s chaos and endless detours,” she said during the announcement on Thursday.

“The only chance for citizens”

The Minister of Transport also set the stage for the next election in October 2026, stating that the CAQ is “the only party capable of governing” in favour of the third link and that the project was “at a crossroads.”

“Right now, we are the only chance for citizens to have the third link built,” she said.

Guilbault stated that she wanted to make the third link irreversible to protect it from the outcome of the next election by moving the project forward as quickly as possible.

“If someone decided to change their mind after going through the call for qualifications, call for proposals, and then qualifying serious partnerships that have invested time, money, and resources into this, we would face financial consequences to compensate the bidders, but also reputational risks,” the minister explained.

It’s worth remembering that the government is under the public opinion’s pressure. The polling aggregator Qc125 currently gives the CAQ only four seats.

Several Red Flags

In its report on mobility in Quebec City published a year ago, the Caisse de dépôt et placement did not recommend moving forward with a third link.

It had analyzed the corridor chosen by the Minister, and several red flags were raised:

• “It lengthens travel time because the connection to the A-40 in Quebec City distances users from the main destinations, namely the Sainte-Foy area and Parliament Hill.”
• “It requires a very complex infrastructure with very large-span engineering structures, tunnels, and cut-and-cover tunnels. Connection to Charest Boulevard, Pierre-Bertrand Boulevard, or the A-440 is very complex.”
• “Significant physical and environmental constraints imposed by the river banks, the cliffs, and the waterway.”

Despite this, the Minister defended her choice of corridor.

“In the balance of all the criteria we evaluated for each of the corridors, this one emerged as the best project at the best cost, although, yes, there will be challenges, as there would have been for all corridors,” she maintained.

From East to West

It should be remembered that the CAQ government procrastinated considerably on the project.

In 2019, it proposed a tunnel to the east that would pass under Île d’Orléans.

Then, the government changed its mind and suggested a slightly more westerly route that would connect the two city centers.

In April 2023, Guilbault announced that her government was abandoning the project for a highway link between Quebec City and Lévis. She instead proposed a tunnel dedicated to public transit.

Then, in October 2023, less than 24 hours after his resounding defeat in Jean-Talon against the Parti Québécois (PQ), Premier François Legault took everyone by surprise by announcing that he wanted to consult the people of Quebec City about the third link and that all options were on the table.

The project was finally resurrected in June 2024.

“An electoral bluff”

The opposition parties in Quebec City blasted Minister Guilbault’s announcement.

“Today we are witnessing a CAQ staging with a single objective: to obtain a third mandate on the back of the third link. (…) A competent government would have started with the facts before making promises. But with the CAQ, it’s always the other way around,” argued Liberal MNA Monsef Derraji.

Québec solidaire (QS) denounced “an electoral bluff.”

“The CAQ is looking for ways to buy time to run a third campaign on the back of the third link. The CAQ wants to give the illusion that it is doing something for Quebec City, but meanwhile, nothing concrete is moving forward to resolve congestion in the region,” said QS MNA Etienne Grandmont.

The PQ called the announcement “an electioneering session.”

“It’s not with empty political phrases like that that we build infrastructure that will cost Quebecers tens of billions of dollars,” said PQ MNA Pascal Paradis.

Conservative leader Éric Duhaime, who is a loyal defender of a third link through Île d’Orléans, wants to make the project an issue in the next election.

“In 2026, citizens will have the choice between three parties that are against it, one that is fooling us, and only one that has defended the clear will of the people of Quebec City from the beginning: a third link to the east,” he said.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews