No. H028/11
For release - March 18, 2011
BROSSARD, QUEBEC — Senator Larry Smith, on behalf of the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today announced funding of $228 million to the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI) to keep its bridges and other assets in Montreal safe.
Over the next three years, the Government of Canada will contribute $158 million for the Champlain Bridge Corridor and $70 million for other JCCBI structures, such as the Jacques Cartier Bridge, the Honoré Mercier Bridge, the Melocheville Tunnel and the Champlain Bridge Ice Control Structure. The funds will be used for safety repairs and asset preservation.
“The safety and security of the Champlain Bridge and of the people crossing it every day are a top priority for our government,” said Senator Smith. “We are investing in the Champlain Bridge Corridor so that it remains safe for the 60 million trips and estimated $20 billion of international trade that cross the bridge annually.”
In 2009, JCCBI and the Quebec Ministry of Transportation undertook a pre-feasibility study to examine the future of the Champlain Bridge. When the Government of Canada receives the final report, it will review its findings and consider all options, including replacing the Champlain Bridge. Until then, additional repair work will be required to ensure that the existing Champlain Bridge can continue to safely carry the volume of traffic forecast in the coming years.
“Our government remains focused on the economy. The Champlain Bridge is an integral component of the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor, a federal-provincial partnership to maintain and build upon our world-class transportation system so that it remains a key driver of international trade and economic growth for the future,” said Senator Smith.
The Government of Canada is committed to the safe and efficient operation of the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor, as the Champlain Bridge is one of the busiest bridges in Canada and an important route for truckers travelling to and from the United States. This important investment will fuel the long-term competitiveness of Quebec’s economy.
The Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Federal Bridge Corporation Limited, a Crown corporation under the portfolio of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. It owns, operates and maintains the Jacques-Cartier Bridge; Champlain Bridge; the federally owned portions of the Honoré-Mercier Bridge, the Bonaventure Expressway and Highway 15; the Melocheville Tunnel; and the Champlain Bridge Ice Control Structure.
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Today’s announcement of a $228-million contribution to the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI) allocates funds for safety repairs and asset preservation of JCCBI structures. This announcement includes $70 million over the next three years for the safety of the Jacques Cartier Bridge, the Honoré Mercier Bridge, the Melocheville Tunnel and the Champlain Bridge Ice Control Structure. It also allocates $158 million over the next three years for safety repairs and asset preservation of the Champlain Bridge Corridor, which includes the Champlain Bridge, the Bonaventure Expressway and Highway 15.
This investment will ensure that federally owned bridges and other assets in Montreal continue to undergo necessary repairs for the safety and security of all who use these important links. This funding also supports the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor.
Champlain Bridge Corridor
Although the Champlain Bridge is safe and secure for all Canadians and travellers, it requires additional repair work to ensure that it remains safe and secure for everyone using it, and that it can continue to carry the volume of traffic forecast.
This contribution is added to the $212 million in funds identified in Canada’s Economic Action Plan in 2009 to maintain the Champlain Bridge in Montreal. It addressed required repairs for a 10-year rehabilitation timeline.
Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor
The Champlain Bridge is the busiest in Canada. Approximately 60 million vehicles and an estimated $20 billion of international trade cross the bridge annually. That is why the Champlain Bridge Corridor is an integral component of the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor, a federal-provincial partnership intended to maintain and build upon Ontario’s and Quebec’s world-class transportation system so that it remains a key driver of international trade and economic growth for the future.
The governments of Canada, Ontario and Quebec signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July 2007 to develop the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor Strategy in partnership with the private and public sectors. The Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor is an integrated transportation system connecting Ontario and Quebec to North America and the rest of the world. Its goal is to ensure support for Canada’s economic growth into the future by providing a sustainable, integrated and globally competitive transportation system for international trade. As part of this initiative, the Government of Canada has already committed over $4.2 billon to transportation infrastructure in Quebec and Ontario in support of the Continental Gateway objectives.
The Government of Canada is continuing to work in partnership with Ontario and Quebec, as well as with the private sector, to finalize the Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor Strategy. The Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor is Canada’s busiest trade corridor, carrying over 74 per cent of Canada’s international trade via the four transportation modes.
March 2011
