No. H057/13
For release - May 14, 2013
MONTREAL — The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, announced today that the Government of Canada is working with the City of Montreal to ensure the new bridge for the St. Lawrence has architectural quality.
“Our government took note of the participants’ comments during the roundtable on the architectural quality of the new bridge held on February 18,” said Minister Lebel. “We all want the new bridge to reflect the values of the community, to showcase its role as the most important gateway to Montreal, and to preserve the spectacular view of downtown from the bridge. Our government will work with local experts to make this vision a reality, while respecting timelines and budget.”
Next steps in this process will be to:
- Develop options to integrate architectural quality as part of a public-private partnership, taking into account the project’s timeline, budget, and functional criteria;
- Discuss these options with local and international experts to validate and refine them;
- Present the options to local stakeholders to invite their comments; and
- Submit a report to the Minister for consideration by late summer 2013.
Since last fall, Transport Canada representatives have held a series of meetings with stakeholders to discuss the design of the new bridge and several other important aspects. The project is going well and the original timelines are being met. The Government of Canada will continue to work with its key partners, including representatives of the Government of Quebec and the Cities of Montreal, Brossard and Longueuil, to advance the new bridge for the St. Lawrence project.
On October 5, 2011, Minister Lebel announced that the Government of Canada would be building a new bridge corridor to replace the Champlain Bridge. This six-lane bridge is one of the busiest in Canada. With an estimated $20 billion in international trade crossing it each year, the Champlain Bridge is a crucial corridor for the regional economy and the economy of Canada as a whole. The project also meets the objectives of Canada’s gateway strategies.
To learn more about the new bridge for the St. Lawrence, please visit www.tc.gc.ca/nbfsl. For information on Canada’s gateway strategies, please visit www.canadasgateways.gc.ca/index2.html.
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