Ten months without an elevator between Upper and Lower Town

A useful mechanical link on the rue Saint-Vallier Est will complete the work from next year.

Over several months, the interventions will force an interruption of service in 2025, officials from the Building Management Service, which is responsible for its maintenance, said last week.

“This is a project to repair the elevator and the building envelope. Service disruptions are expected,” explained Annie Blackburn, director of Quebec City’s major construction projects department.

According to information from Le Soleil, work will begin in mid-2024. In a call for tenders published online, the City indicates “ten months of service interruption for work on the elevator in 2025, but this deadline and dates are subject to revision over time. The contract with the private supplier must be in force from March 1, 2024 to February 28, 2027.

“Since the Faberge elevator project is under study, the cost and schedule are not yet known. The city can provide more information on this matter after learning about the results of ongoing analyses,” explained spokesman Jean-Pascal Lavoie.

Limit the damage

The municipal administration, however, said it was immediately considering the most favorable period to close the Fabourg elevator, an “essential” utility link for pedestrians and people with reduced mobility between Quebec’s upper and lower towns.

However, it did not decide how to replace the out-of-service elevator during the work.

“We are working on mitigation measures for compensation while the elevator is under renovation. We haven’t decided for sure yet Method of operation, but we are working on it and it will be well defined in accordance with the less damaging period. You have to think about the use, but also the times of the year,” explains Ms. Blackburn.

Built in 1942, the Faubourg elevator is the only such device in Quebec City.

Going back and forth for about 80 years, the link has undergone transformations over time. Between 1996 and 1998, the city of Quebec carried out major restoration works, which made the building comparable to the original.