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You have a question for us
It will please to us to answer it.
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 Is-it a reasonable investment ? |
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Is it reasonable to invest so much money to build a bridge in a canadian remote region ? |
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Louise Gagnon, Montreal |
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This is a society choice which belongs to political decision-makers.However here are some points which may help in this decision:
1) In 1997, the cost of the ferry deficit in Tadoussac was $6.7 millions, in 2002 it was 13 millions plus the winter costs of the third ferry-boat used in summertime.
2)If the cost of the bridge is 650 M$, then,considering a lifespan of the bridge higher than 100 years, one can measure the importance of the avoided costs when the ferry will end its activities.
3) The ferry fever, the long waiting times for the ferry or in the cars bunches ,the long detour thru Saguenay city lasting 3.5 hours,induce accidents and lost of time which could be avoided with a bridge.These avoided costs , and over all deaths and serious injuries avoided, could reach a value of many hundreds millions of dollars over the lifespan of the bridge.
4 ) The positive effects of a bridge on the competitiveness of the regional enterprises, on the creation of new and growth of existing ones, perticularly in tourism and 2nd and 3rd transformation of our resources, are not easily measurable but nonetheless important.
The ongoing impact study will precise these parameters but beyond this study, it is clearly in the higher interest of the country to achieve its trans-canadian road up to the Labrador and Newfoundland province instead of limiting its economic development to the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto corridor.
Besides, in the recent years, politicians have decided comparables investments in the canadian east; the confederation bridge to reach Prince Edward Island, the Trans Labrador highway, the 175 highway between Québec and Saguenay City.
While reading the section "What's at stake" you may share our vision that opening the road with a bridge to reach the vast canadian north east region will be one of the most profitable public investments one can foresee for the country. |
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| La Société du Pont sur le Saguenay |
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Do you foresee the need for a railroad on the bridge? |
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Do you foresee the need for a railroad on the bridge? |
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Olivier, Longueuil |
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The consortium responsible for the ongoing impact study is not considering that option because the Quebec Transport Department did not ask for that.
Your question is very relevant. In fact The Society ask it and has had no answer yet.The North shore region of Quebec and the Labrador are already served by a 1,000 km network of railroads.
This network joins the coastal cities of Port Cartier and Sept-Iles to the northern cities of Fermont ans Shefferville in Quebec and Labrador city and Wabush in New foudland.Building a 500 km railroad from Sept-Iles to La Malbaie or Ville de Saguenay would allow all the North eastern region of Canada to be linked by railroad to the rest of the continent.This option would certainly not induce costs of over 20 billions projected to enlarge the St Lawrence river seaway to give an access to the Great Lakes for the new super-panamax boats. These boats could transfer their goods on the north-american railroad network in the Sept-Iles harbour wich is in deep water and in a bay icefree yearlong .Thus saving the environment and reducing the heavy traffic on road 138. |
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| La Société du Pont sur le Saguenay |
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