New bridge for the St. Lawrence - The federal government will continue to consult with its partners

MONTREAL, Feb. 7, 2013 /CNW/ - In the work leading to construction of a new bridge for the St. Lawrence to replace the Champlain Bridge, the federal government continues to work with its partners, including the Government of Québec.

The Honorable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Québec, announced that the 36^th formal meeting on the project between representatives of the two governments is taking place today. The objective of this working session is to discuss the technical aspects of public transit that must be taken into consideration in order to advance the business case and the preliminary design.

"Not including my own consultations, not including my discussions over the phone or by email, today is the 36^th working meeting between the two levels of government on this important project since January 23, 2012. In addition, in July 2012, I personally approved a project management structure that will provide for frequent consultations with partners and stakeholders outside the federal government," said Minister Lebel.

The Minister also noted that many similar meetings have taken place with municipal representatives, economic stakeholders, those from the field of architecture, and many others. "This is a major project for the Canadian economy. It will create thousands of new jobs and we are managing this project accordingly. We won't be able to say 'yes' to everything and sometimes we will have to make difficult decisions. That said, we intend to pursue collaboration and exchanges, as we have been doing since the start of the project," he said.

In closing, Minister Lebel reiterated that the project is on track and continues to respect its original timeframes.

For more information about the new bridge for the St. Lawrence, please visit www.tc.gc.ca/nbfsl.

BACKGROUNDER

Chronology

October 5, 2011: Announcement of the construction of a new bridge for the St. Lawrence in Montreal to replace the Champlain Bridge.  It will be built in a public-private partnership and there will be tolls.

October 31, 2011: Consultations by Minister Lebel with economic and business leaders from the Montreal region.

November 14, 2011: Consultations by Minister Lebel with the mayors of Montreal, Longueuil and Brossard.

January 22, 2012: Launch of the federal environmental assessment.

March 15, 2012: Speech by Minister Lebel at the business lunch organized by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de la Rive-Sud.

March 30, 2012: Request for proposals to retain expert financial, technical and engineering services.

April 23, 2012: Award of the contract for the environmental assessment (Dessau|Cima+ consortium).

July 12, 2012: Announcement of the replacement of three overpasses on Highway 15 and the construction of a temporary causeway linking Nuns' Island to Montreal.

July 31, 2012: Award of the contract to develop the business case for the project (consortium led by PricewaterhouseCoopers).

November 16, 2012: Publishing of the preliminary environmental assessment report.

December 2-10, 2012: Public open houses on the results of environmental assessment in Brossard, Verdun/Southwest and Nuns' Island.

SOURCE: Government of Canada

Geneviève Sicard 
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
Ottawa
613-991-0700

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