Bad condition of the Pierre-Laporte bridge: The trade industry feels “held hostage”

It is “urgent” to rethink regional mobility, according to the Lévis Chamber of Commerce, which feels “held hostage” to the worrying state of the Pierre-Laporte bridge, the only bridge allowing the transport of goods in the region.

• Read also: Pierre-Laporte Bridge: the replacement of the lines will be accelerated

• Read also: State of the Pierre-Laporte bridge: we must “accelerate” the construction of the 3rd link, insists Lehouillier

• Read also: No expert at the MTQ to fix the Pierre-Laporte bridge

“We have been talking about it for too long, we saw it coming. We need a link in the east, regardless of the project, which ensures traffic flow and which would play the role of a safety net,” says Marie-Josée Morency, general manager of the Lévis Chamber of Commerce.

For her, the damning report by engineers from the Ministère des Transports (MTQ) on the worrying condition of the suspension lines of the Pierre-Laporte bridge revealed on Wednesday by Radio-Canada is just one more proof of the need for a third link between the two shores.

“In the meantime, when situations like this happen, we are taken hostage because we have no plan B,” she continues, pointing out the disuse of the Quebec Bridge and the minor impact of the ferry. .

A game plan

According to an engineer contacted by the state-owned company, we should start changing the 160 suspension lines of the Pierre-Laporte bridge immediately to avoid losing control and having to close the structure for weeks. However, the MTQ plans to do so within 5 to 15 years.

“If the bridge were to close for a few weeks, it would have catastrophic impacts. In particular for the transport of goods, but also for the entire tourist industry, which is already on the ground”, deplores Ms. Morency.

The Lévis Chamber of Commerce implores the Government of Quebec to begin this work as soon as possible to avoid the worst. But to do this, it wants to obtain a clear and precise timetable for the work.

“That’s what saved us last summer during the work on the Pierre-Laporte bridge. The companies were ready and showed originality to ensure that their operations would be maintained,” explains the organization’s executive director.

attractiveness problem

Nevertheless, it remains “urgent” to rethink regional mobility, according to Marie-Josée Morency, who believes that the recurring problems related to the two bridges are detrimental to the retention of labor in the region.

“It becomes heavy for all those who have to cross the river to work, on one side or the other. It is far from being good for attractiveness, especially in times of shortage, ”she concludes.