Quebec City-Lévis tunnel could cost more than $7 billion, take 10 years to build

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QUEBEC — The Quebec government has given the green light to the construction of a new tunnel between Quebec City and Lévis under the St. Lawrence River, without knowing how much the megaproject will cost when it opens.

The project, known as the “third link” between the two shores, will cost at least $6 billion to $7 billion and its construction will take a decade. Add to that some contingency costs, various “related” charges whose magnitude is difficult to evaluate at the moment, Quebec’s transport ministry says.

For now, the government estimates that additional costs could reach up to 35 per cent of the construction cost of the tunnel, which would bring the total price up to $9 billion to $10 billion.

Details of the project were announced Monday at a news conference with Premier François Legault, Transport Minister François Bonnardel, minister responsible for the region Geneviève Guilbault, Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume and Lévis Mayor Gilles Lehouillier.

The tunnel project was a campaign promise of the Coalition Avenir Québec in the 2018 general election. Quebec City has only two fixed links to its south shore — the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre Laporte Bridge, which are right next to each other in the western end of the city. The tunnel, which would become the new easternmost fixed link across the St. Lawrence River, would link the two downtowns.

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The planned tunnel would stretch over 8.3 kilometres, not including approaches. By comparison, the Louis-Hippolyte-Lafontaine tunnel in Montreal is 1.4 kilometres long. Inside its 19.4-metre diameter are two levels, one for traffic in either direction. Each level will have three lanes of traffic, including one reserved for public transit and electric vehicles.

About 50,000 vehicles are expected to use the tunnel each day.

The first shovels in the ground are expected in 2022, in time for the next provincial election. The CAQ had promised to begin construction before the end of its mandate.

No studies have shown the need for such a tunnel to ease rush-hour traffic in Quebec City.

The project will be the subject of environmental studies starting in 2023, though the government does not appear willing to cancel it regardless of what those studies show.

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“I don’t see a reason not to do this project,” Legault said, giving chances of “10 out of 10” that the project will happen.

The government also announced a $3.3-billion tramway project in Quebec City, which it will call the Réseau express de la capitale. Funded by three levels of government, the 20-kilometre tramway is expected to be operational in 2027. The REC also includes about 100 kilometres of reserved lanes along highways linking Quebec City with its suburbs.

No federal funding has been announced for the tunnel project, but Legault said he hoped there would be a “significant amount” contributed.