January 3, 2012

New tunnel solution to connect the city’s south shore with the island of Montreal

MONTREAL

A recent closure of a Montreal area tunnel has renewed the call for a new tunnel to connect the city’s south shore with the Island of Montreal.

“The closing off of the Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine Bridge-Tunnel in the southbound direction demonstrates once again the necessity of building a sixth link connecting Montreal with the South Shore,” said Luc Poirier, President of Investissement Luc Poirier and initiator of a project calling for the construction of a new tunnel connecting the south shore with the Island of Montreal by way of the de la Concorde Bridge.

“The construction of a new shore-to-shore link would go a long way toward reducing traffic and alleviating the pressure on our existing infrastructure, infrastructure that will be the subject of major repairs over the next several years, even decades. The downtown tunnel will help mitigate the impact of all this road work,” added Poirier.

The proposed solution is not only entirely financed by private funds; it can also be completed within a relatively short time frame of two years once government authorization is obtained, stated Poirier.

By going under the seaway and the Olympic basin, the proposed tunnel would connect Highway 132 from St. Lambert, to Île Notre-Dame. Downtown Montreal would then be accessible by way of the de la Concorde Bridge, Pierre-Dupuy Avenue and the Bonaventure Expressway. The proposed type of construction, a bored tunnel, minimizes impact on natural environments and entails little or no change to the visual landscape.

The proposed tunnel would be equipped with an electronic toll system. It would provide free access for public transit vehicles and emergency vehicles and encourage active transportation by including a multi-use path (for pedestrians and cyclists). The project also encourages public transit use, with reserved bus lanes and priority traffic lights on the south shore and in Montreal.

Since its launch on Nov. 30, the proposed tunnel has been well received. Over 1,700 individuals have indicated their support for the project at www.investissementlucpoirier.com.

“I am very motivated by this support and hope to start meeting with all the appropriate government stakeholders during the first months of 2012 to keep pushing this project forward,” said Poirier.

DCN NEWS SERVICES

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