2023-06-28 16:17:01
To improve the fluidity of travel, the City of Lévis is relying on 2.9 km reserved public transit lanes on Guillaume-Couture Boulevard, at a cost of $149 million, rather than on a heavy transit system.
This is what the mayor of Lévis, Gilles Lehouillier, confirmed Wednesday morning during a press briefing organized in Lévis in the company of ministers Geneviève Guilbault and Bernard Drainville.
“For the moment, studies have shown that when our buses leave the reserved lanes, they fall back down smoothly. That does not prevent me from giving my serve every 10 minutes [en heure de pointe] For now. And that’s where the ministry [des Transports] judges the projects,” said the mayor.
The latter assured that the Municipality has chosen to “reserve the necessary rights-of-way” on Guillaume-Couture Boulevard if the need arises to extend these reserved lanes “in 5, 6, 7 or 8 years”.
On the other hand, a heavy mode of transport, of the SRB type (rapid service by bus) no longer seems to be on its radar screen in the short or medium term.
Screenshot, video of the City of Lévis
No SRB
“It will be reserved lanes. An SRB for now – and for the next 10-15 years – there will never be… Maybe in 15-20 years people will say you should turn your reserved lanes into an SRB platform […] We will see at that time, ”he added, recalling that Lévis is the seventh city in Quebec in terms of population.
Presented for the first time in 2015, the defunct SRB project was to cover the territory of Quebec and that of Lévis. However, it was abandoned in 2017. A year later, the City of Quebec opted for the tramway.
Citing a 2020 study by SNC-Lavalin, Alexandre Fallu, an opposition Lévis municipal councilor, recalled that the reserved lanes will only make it possible to “maintain the modal share of public transport in the corridor”. Mr. Fallu therefore wonders if the City is really investing in the right place and asks for “an integrated vision of active transportation”.
Funding Agreement
On Wednesday morning, the Quebec government announced that it was extending an additional $30 million to complete the financial package for the Lévis reserved lanes project, which is now valued at $149.1 million, or 70% more than what was planned for the origin.
Screenshot, video of the City of Lévis
The nature of the work and the underground portion dedicated to the relocation of public utilities explain this increase in costs. This in addition to the effects of the pandemic on the price of materials and the chronic shortage of labor, explained the various speakers.
Screenshot, video of the City of Lévis
The reserved lanes, which will therefore total 2.9 km, will be located between the Desjardins sector and the bridges. They must be used at all times – and not just during rush hour – by buses and by carpooling (two passengers or more). The work, which has just started, should be completed in June 2027, with a delay of nearly two years on the initial schedule.
Not a consolation prize
In addition to the reserved lanes, the mayor and the two ministers insisted on widening the sidewalks and adding a cycle lane. They recalled that utility bikes – and not just leisure ones – are enjoying more and more enthusiasts in the greater Capitale-Nationale region.
Geneviève Guilbault also assured that the Government of Quebec has supported the reserved lanes project for a long time and that it is in no way a consolation prize offered to Mayor Lehouillier following the abandonment of the highway component of the third link between the two shores.
For his part, Bernard Drainville admitted that this abandonment might “break” the bonds of trust. That said, the Minister and MP for Lévis said he was convinced that the anger of Lévis residents is now “less intense” than during the fateful announcement.
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