Quebec's CAQ government accepts request for $275M to launch 3rd link project

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government is releasing $275 million for the third link project between Québec City and Lévis, according to Radio-Canada.

Members of Quebec's cabinet accepted Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault's arguments for releasing the money during their meeting Wedneday, before breaking for the summer. She had requested the funds to launch the project.

"This is not new money," said Jonathan Guay, a spokesperson for Guilbault's office, in a statement to Radio-Canada. "The amount has been included in the Quebec Infrastructure Plan [QIP] since 2019."

Last month, Guilbault revealed the third link will consist of a tunnel and a bridge, and that her government had chosen a central corridor for the project. She did not reveal the cost of the project. 

According to a preliminary evaluation prepared by the Transport Ministry and obtained by Radio-Canada, the cost of the third link would land between $5.3 and $9.3 billion, depending on the location of the access point in Quebec City. The estimate does not include the cost of certain studies, land acquisition, expropriation or even internal costs.

The project has been criticized by Quebec's opposition parties and it's current form goes against a recommendation by CDPQ Infra, a subsidiary of Quebec's pension fund manager. It had instead recommended a $15.5-billion public transit project and several major transport solution for the Quebec City region.

Guilbault has expressed wanting to progress the project as much as possible so as to make it "irreversible" by the time Quebec's next general election rolls out in October 2026. 

WATCH | Guilbault announces new details on transport project: 

A bridge, a tunnel and a location: Quebec City’s 3rd link plan gets clearer, but questions remain

1 month ago

Duration 2:14

Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault has confirmed the preliminary route of the third link between Quebec City and Lévis will be a bridge combined with a tunnel on the east side of Quebec City’s existing bridges. Guilbault promised that she'll confirm the project's cost and the final layout by the end of 2025.

Geotechnical drilling has been carried out, since last week, on both banks of the river to assess the quality and composition of the soil. The work follows a $46 million contract awarded by Quebec in February to American, French, and Canadian engineering firms.

Guilbault says she'll provide a new update on the project in the fall.