Quebec commits $4.7B for province's roads
Montreal roads receive $1.4B injection for maintenance and development
Quebec will invest $4.7 billion in the province's transportation infrastructure over the next two years, Transport Minister Jacques Daoust announced Friday.
Of that, 90 per cent will go to maintaining existing infrastructure and another $478 million will be used for new development projects.
"We'll start with ensuring our existing roads are in good condition," said Daoust said.
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The investment will see more than $1.4 billion invested in transportation infrastructure around Montreal and another $67.3 million in Laval.
Friday's announcement signaled the beginning of "orange cone" season in Quebec, Daoust said, referring to the start of roadwork around the province.
The investment will fund 2,139 projects on 3,200 kilometres of roads around Quebec and support 31,500 workers between 2016 and 2018.
Daoust added that the investment will heed the recommendations of the Charbonneau Commission on corruption in the awarding of construction contracts in Quebec.
For example, Transports Québec will assume responsibility for inspections at a majority of work sites and undertake a thorough analysis of new materials available on the market in order to ensure quality control.