The cost of the new bridge to Ile d'Orleans is 2.759 billion dollars

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QUEBEC – A new bridge linking the Quebec City region to the Île d'Orléans will cost a total of $2.759 billion, well above previous estimates.

The government announced Tuesday that Dragados Canada and EBC Inc. The Groupe Héritage Île-d'Orléans SENC consortium, which includes the Île-d'Orléans SENC, announced on April 2 that it had been selected as the winner of the contract to replace the two-lane bridge built in 1935. The cost is included. $1.856 billion for the construction of the new bridge, and the rest for environmental compensation, financing, emergency reserves and the cost of dismantling the existing bridge.

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When Quebec announced the bridge project in 2020, Finance Minister Eric Girard said it would cost “several hundred million” dollars, but said he could not be specific about the cost. Construction was originally scheduled to begin in 2022 and be completed in 2027. Although some preparatory work has begun, the bridge is now expected to open in 2028, with work completed in 2029 and the current bridge to be deconstructed between 2030 and 2033.

Construction will begin after environmental and heritage approvals have been granted.

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The new 2.1-kilometer suspension bridge will be located 120 meters west of the existing bridge, similar to a bridge with one lane in each direction. Multi-functional paths for pedestrians and cyclists will be on both sides of the traffic. The new bridge will require a new interchange with the 40 Freeway and Route 138 on the north side. It is expected to last 100 years.

The project addresses a variety of environmental issues, including protection of white perch spawning grounds in the St. Lawrence River.

The current bridge is used by about 7,000 vehicles a day, and in the summer their number increases to 15,000. About 7,000 people live in Ile d'Orleans.

Transport Minister Genevieve Guilbeau has defended the high cost of the bridge, which is the same as the new Île aux Tourtes bridge, which has six lanes and is used by 87,000 vehicles a day.

“For security and economic development, we have no choice but to move forward. But of course it's expensive,” Guilbeau said, according to La Presse.

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