Quebec City's 3rd link to be reserved for public transit

The Quebec government is backtracking on its plans for a highway tunnel connecting Quebec City to Lévis.

Radio-Canada has confirmed the so-called third link will be reserved exclusively for public transit. The Journal de Québec first reported the story. 

Initially, the Coalition Avenir Québec's project was set to include six lanes, only two of which were reserved bus lanes. 

The new version of the project should cost less than the $6.5 billion announced for a twin tube, Radio-Canada is reporting. 

Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbeault is expected to make an official announcement on the changes this Thursday.

It is not yet clear what kind of public transit the tunnel will be reserved for and whether the Quebec City tramway will be involved.

Radio-Canada reported a few weeks ago that the tramway was one of the options under study. It appears the third link would still connect the downtown sectors of the two cities. 

Premier François Legault has maintained the project is necessary to reduce traffic congestion and to keep up with population growth in the area. But traffic studies commissioned by the Transport Minister did not show that there was a need for automobiles, according to Radio-Canada. 

The province has also said it will reveal the details of its feasibility studies this week.

A win for both cities

Ahead of the official announcement, Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand said Wednesday the tunnel would  be an "enormous win" for Quebec City and Lévis. 

"We've been saying for many months, public transit is needed," he told Radio-Canada's Première Heure. "If you put a service that is fast, that allows people to save time, and in this case, also has ecological value, people will use it,"

He commended Guilbault for displaying "bravery and audacity" in her decision on the project. 

"In politics, sometimes, you have to be able to say 'we promised it. Now we're looking at the data and the facts, and that's not what the community needs for now."

Although Étienne Grandmont, Québec Solidaire (QS) MNA for Taschereau acknowleged Guilbault's "courage," he said the government had, above all, "finally listened to reason." 

"It's been close to 10 years that we've been talking about this project, the catastrophe that it represents from an environmental point of view," he told Radio-Canada's Première Heure. "It's a great victory for citizen mobilization." 

He said QS remains open to public transit projects in Quebec but will wait for the announcement Thursday to "judge the tree by its fruits."