Question Period Note: SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN BRIDGE CORRIDOR PROJECT

The Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor Project.

• The Samuel De Champlain Bridge was inaugurated on June 28, 2019 and was fully opened to traffic in both directions on July 1, 2019.
• Work continues on other components of the project including Highway 15, a year-round multi-use path for cyclists and pedestrians, local roads, and urban integration. Most of this work is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. Weather sensitive works will be completed in 2020.
• Infrastructure Canada continues to collaborate with CDPQ Infra to facilitate planned construction of the Réseau express métropolitain project within the Samuel De Champlain Bridge’s dedicated transit corridor.
• Infrastructure Canada continues to work closely with the Private Partner to complete the project as soon as possible and to ensure a successful transition to the full operations, maintenance and rehabilitation phase.

• The Samuel De Champlain Bridge, a 3.4 km cable-stayed bridge, is one of the busiest bridges in the country and carries $20 billion in international trade per year, 11 million public transit users and 40 - 50 million vehicles per year.
• On June 19, 2015, a Project Agreement between the Government of Canada and Signature on the Saint-Laurent Group (SSLG) came into effect. This agreement covers the design, construction, financing, operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of the Project over a 34-year period (2015 – 2049) at a cost of $4.212 B, which includes an additional $235 million as per the settlement agreement announced on April 13, 2018.
• The Samuel De Champlain Bridge has three corridors: two for vehicular traffic and a central corridor dedicated exclusively to public transit, which the Government of Québec confirmed in 2015 would be a light rail transit system, the Réseau express métropolitain (REM).
• While the Project Agreement called for the opening of the bridge in December 2018, the Project was delayed by several unforeseen situations including issues related to the transportation of oversized pieces, a crane operators strike in 2018, a general construction strike in 2017, and several weather-related events.
• The Project is currently in a “transition period,” which began following the opening of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge in Summer 2019. This period ends when the construction of the remainder of the corridor is complete, and all outstanding issues, including construction deficiencies and claims have been resolved.
• Following the “transition period,” a stable operations-maintenance-rehabilitation (OMR) period will commence, bringing different Project Agreement requirements for the Private Partner to implement, and different oversight responsibilities for the Government of Canada to ensure Canadians continue getting the best value for money.
• The Project is managed through an integrated project team with Infrastructure Canada as the technical lead, Public Works and Procurement Canada as the contracting lead and Justice Canada providing legal support.

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