The third link project still alive, assures Drainville

Photo: iStock Archive Minister Drainville said Monday that he hopes “with all my heart” that the third link project between Lévis and Quebec which will be proposed by CDPQ Infra “will meet the needs” of the South Shore.

Isabelle Porter in Quebec

8:50 p.m.

• Quebec

The project for a third link between Lévis and Quebec is still in the works, assures Minister Bernard Drainville, but it faces a major “challenge” on a technical level, according to him.

“We never abandoned the idea of ​​a new link,” declared Mr. Drainville in a speech before the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Greater Lévis, Monday noon. “Even after the announcement, we continued to work internally to tell our government: “It can’t be done, it takes a new link. We can't just abandon the project we're committed to.”

The minister, who represents the Lévis constituency, faces strong local pressure in the matter. He also made these remarks after the President of the Chamber, Marie-Josée Morency, pressed him to say “something reassuring” to his members about the fate of the project. “Where are we going ?”, she asked him before emphasizing that the subject was “very emotional” in Lévis.

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Technical feasibility: the “great challenge”

Since November, the project has been in the hands of the Caisse de dépôt et de placement (CDPQ) Infra, which must submit a report to the government by June on mobility in Quebec.

“The commitment we have from the Caisse is that they will submit a project for an inter-shore link. That’s a given,” he assured business people on the South Shore of Quebec.

The Caisse de dépôt is currently conducting consultations in connection with the inter-shore transport project.

Monday, Mr. Drainville said he hopes “with all my heart” that the project that will be proposed by the fund “will meet the needs” of the South Shore. But he suggested that technical issues posed a threat to its realization.

“They must respond to needs and they must also ensure that the project they are going to submit is technically feasible, that’s the big challenge. »