Well apparently the Turcot Project ( as we predicted here a long time ago) is not only in doubt,but now the Gov't, agrees that they Can Change the Plans,..but only at additional cost,.....( I guess this is where the Extra Graft comes in..........hahahahah
Quebec will make changes to its controversial Turcot plan - but it'll cost taxpayers more, Transport Minister Julie Boulet said yesterday.
Boulet told reporters in Quebec City that changes to the project will cause the final cost to rise above the original $1.5-billion price tag. She did not provide a new estimate, saying the cost will depend on what's in the final plan.
On Tuesday, the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement, a provincial advisory body, made public a report recommending major changes to the Turcot reconstruction project. The BAPE said Quebec should not expropriate homes for it or rebuild part of Highway 15 on embankments. It suggested a
regional transportation plan focused on public transit is needed, and that green spaces should be added to the plan.
Yesterday, Boulet said the government is still studying the recommendations.
But she indicated the plan will be reworked so highways are "better integrated into the urban milieu," noting the area covered is "densely populated with many peculiarities." If "we add public transit, there are costs. But public transport is among the recommendations of the BAPE and it is also a concern to us."
The city of Montreal was shut out of Quebec's planning of the controversial Turcot reconstruction, with city officials learning of last-minute changes to the plan during public hearings last spring.
Over the summer, Transport Quebec made yet more changes to its plan. Again, Montreal wasn't consulted, nor does it yet know what the changes are or whether they deal with the city's complaints.
But Alan DeSousa, city executive committee member responsible for sustainable development, said he sees signs that Quebec will be more receptive in the wake of the BAPE report.
Boulet called Mayor Gérald Tremblay yesterday to set up a meeting as soon as possible to discuss how Quebec will change Turcot, DeSousa said.
He said the plan is fundamentally flawed in part because it would increase car traffic and does little to encourage public transit.
"We believe that mass transit can and should be integrated to make sure that we can improve our ability to transport people and reduce the impact and quantity of traffic," DeSousa said.
Built in the mid-1960s, the Turcot - a tangle of highways and access ramps west of downtown Montreal - is close to the end of its useful life. Highways 15 and 20 and the Ville Marie Expressway converge at the Turcot, used by 290,000 vehicles daily.
Yesterday, Projet Montréal leader Richard Bergeron said Quebec could move ahead with part of the plan - rebuilding the section of Highway 15 that links the Décarie Expressway with the Champlain Bridge, including the elevated Turcot Interchange.
But the reconstruction of parts of Highway 20 and the Ville Marie Expressway must be completely reworked to respond to concerns of the plan's many critics, he said.
ariga@thegazette.canwest.com
1 comment:
all projects of this size would be subject to change.Was there much public consultation ? It does seem strange to add to the cost,when they haven't really even started on the project,that would be when you really find out where additional costs will be found.Like any building ,you don't know what it's going to really costs until you get out of the ground.I read where there is construction irregularities in the bidding.These massive construction projects are always filled with under the table payments,nothing new there.
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