Feds confirm repatriation of historic Québec Bridge

Key Takeaways:

• The Québec Bridge has been transferred back to federal ownership under the management of Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI). The government has committed to a 25-year rehabilitation plan with an annual investment of over $40 million to ensure the bridge’s sustainability and structural integrity.
• The rehabilitation plan includes partnerships with CN (responsible for the rail corridor) and the Quebec government (responsible for the road corridor and bike path). A new advisory committee will be established to provide expert and community input for optimizing the bridge’s management and restoration.
• The Québec Bridge is recognized for its economic, strategic, and heritage importance as a vital transportation and freight corridor, while also acknowledging its historical and cultural significance, including its tragic construction history and its crossing of ancestral First Nations territories.

The Whole Story:

The federal goverment once again owns the Québec Bridge.

Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, announced that the conditions necessary for the repatriation of the Québec Bridge to the federal government have been met. As a result, the Government of Canada is once again the owner of the historic piece of infrastructure.

The Government of Canada announced in May that it had reached an agreement in principle with Canadian National Railway (CN) to transfer ownership of the Québec Bridge. The agreement was formalized by the signing of a deed of transfer between Canada and CN on November 12, 2024.

The retrocession of the Québec Bridge will enable the Government of Canada to ensure the sustainability of this strategic infrastructure so that it can continue to benefit the economies of Canada and Quebec, as well as the entire population of the greater Quebec City region.

Management of the Québec Bridge will be entrusted to the federal Crown corporation Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), which will assume all responsibilities as owner of the infrastructure, and will be responsible for implementing the rehabilitation plan for the Québec Bridge. The Government of Canada is confident that the expertise and experience acquired by JCCBI over the years, notably in operating the Jacques Cartier and Honoré Mercier bridges in Montreal, will enable it to successfully carry out this rehabilitation plan.

JCCBI will work closely with the two other partners and users of the Québec Bridge, CN, which remains responsible for the rail corridor, and the Quebec government, which remains responsible for the road corridor and bicycle path. A collaboration agreement between these three partners will be drawn up to optimize coordination and ensure the completion of all activities on the Québec Bridge.

The Government of Canada will invest more than $40 million a year over a 25-year period in the rehabilitation program. This program will begin with inspections and various studies to make the right diagnoses, prepare a detailed rehabilitation plan and prioritize the work to be carried out. The work will include repair and reinforcement of the steel, piers and footings, as well as a painting program to protect the steel from corrosion and improve the overall appearance of the bridge structure.

To support JCCBI, the Government of Canada has also announced the creation of an advisory committee: the Groupe consultatif pour la sauvegarde du pont de Québec. In the coming weeks, JCCBI will be responsible for setting up this advisory group.

This committee, made up of business people, experts and other citizens, will serve as a platform for expressing opinions and formulating proposals to JCCBI. Further details on the submission and selection process will follow.

The Québec Bridge is of great economic, strategic and heritage importance. For over 100 years, the people of the region have relied on this bridge for their daily commutes, tourism and trade. The Government of Canada stated that it recognizes the importance of this bridge as a strategic freight corridor for regional, national and international markets, and as an important link in the Canadian supply chain.

The Government of Canada also noted that it wishes to remember the tragic history of the bridge’s construction and the legacy of the many workers who lost their lives in its construction. It also recognizes that this bridge crosses the ancestral territory of several First Nations who have occupied this site since time immemorial.