59 M$ in studies on the 3rd link, but still public | Quebec 2022 elections

A list of financial commitments of the agreement was signed with the Union des Rives consortium in April 2022. MTQ.

The pre-project phase provides a unique Design of road transport infrastructure including tunnels, structures and artefactsAs per the call for tenders launched in June 2021.

Called to respond, François Legault’s cabinet responds: These additional investments for the preliminary project clearly show that our project for the third Quebec-Lévis link is moving forward and being implemented. It is very common to incur expenses. […] Quebecers in the Greater Quebec City region gave us a strong mandate in 2018: to implement the Third Link project. That’s what we do.

According to the project preparation guide MTQThe pre-project phase is the phase that follows the feasibility study.

However, Francois Legault has insisted for weeks that a feasibility study for his four-lane tunnel project linking the city centers of Quebec and Lévis is still in progress and could be completed by early 2023.

So the government starts the second phase of the project before it gets the results of its feasibility study, which makes it possible to assess whether a project is worth undertaking.

The latter makes it possible to know the feasibility of the project especially in the city center, its schedule, its costs, its possible connections, its effects on the terrain, traffic and public transport.

The MTQ It implies that it does not violate its own rules.

This approach can be modified for many reasons, such as productivity gains, maximization of deadlines, and technical considerations. […] Some calls for tenders sometimes start simultaneously depending on the procedure chosen by the Ministry, always in accordance with the law on the contracting of public entities.Spokesman Nicolas Vigneault responded.

Opportunity study

There are several studies on the third link designated by MTQ. Specifically are:

Opposing parties and Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand are waiting for the opportunity to study.

On Thursday evening, during a leaders’ debate on Radio-Canada, Eric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), asked the leader. CAQ : Who is studying and how much does it cost to study?. I don’t knowFrançois Legault replied.

the leader of CAQ Friday morning’s press conference had the answers: The feasibility study for a four-lane tunnel between Quebec and Lévis was awarded to Groupe Mobilite Inter-Rives for $8.4 million.

François Legault was questioned several times by Eric Duhaime about the third link.

Photo: Radio-Canada

Confirmed, the Groupe Mobilité inter-rives contract was awarded in May 2018 by the Liberal government of Philippe Couillard. The consortium has a mandate to conduct a feasibility study to assess whether the Quebec region needs a third link and, if so, to analyze five potential corridors. The public contract is valued at $6.7 million.

The Liberals were in power less than five months after the agreement was signed.

According to the list of financial obligations of MTQA year later in September 2019, an additional $1.6 million was granted to the consortium. CAQ, bringing the same contract total to $8.4 million. Justification of the excess amount: Changes to the initial concept, it is written.

The deal with Groupe Mobilite Inter-Rives has been in progress since 2018 and is still in place, according to public documents.

What has this consortium achieved since 2018? MTQ spokesman Nicolas Vigneault responded: Analysis of the link passing through Île d’Orléans was carried out as part of the initial mandate of the feasibility study. A study of the city center to city center route was added later.