The Downtown Tunnel, a project that will connect the South Shore with downtown
The Downtown Tunnel at a glance
Strategically located between the Jacques-Cartier and Victoria bridges, the Downtown Tunnel would link the two shores, providing quick access between downtown Montreal and the South Shore and improving the road network in the Greater Montreal region.
By going under the Seaway and the Olympic basin, the proposed Downtown Tunnel would connect highway 132 from St. Lambert, to Ile Notre-Dame. Downtown Montreal would then be accessible by way of the de la Concorde bridge, Pierre-Dupuy Avenue and the Bonaventure expressway. This shore-to-shore link would be a bored tunnel. It would provide free access for public transit vehicles and emergency vehicles and encourage active transportation by including a multipurpose path (for pedestrians and cyclists.
“One of the big issues in the Greater Montreal region over the next few years will be the road network’s ability to meet the transportation needs of people and goods. Our region’s capacity for economic development and the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of people are at stake. Increased use of public transit is a commendable goal, but we need to be realistic and accept the fact that most people will continue to drive between the two shores. “Luc Poirier, president, Investissement Luc Poirier.
Project description
The project
| - | The Downtown Tunnel would connect the South Shore and Ile Notre-Dame, creating a new link toward downtown Montreal. |
| - | It would be financed without public funds (no direct government funding) |
| - | The proposed tunnel would be equipped with an electronic toll system |
| - | A prefeasibility study and a study on the project’s potential conducted by a leading engineering firm revealed the Downtown Tunnel to be technically realistic and relevant |
The benefits
| - | A project that could be completed relatively quickly (about two or three years, once authorization is obtained) |
| - | Funded entirely by private capital |
| - | In addition to adding a sixth link between Montreal and the South Shore, it would contribute significantly to lessening the impact of upcoming work on major arteries (Mercier and Champlain bridges, Louis-H. Lafontaine Tunnel, Turcot interchange, etc.) |
| - | The construction method that would be used, a bored tunnel, minimizes impact on natural environments and entails little change to the visual landscape |
Press review:
LE DEVOIR
February 13, 2012
[Read more]
MONTREAL (Quebec)
December 22, 2011
Downtown Tunnel project : more proof of it's necessity
“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,” declared Mr. 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. [Read more]
MONTREAL (Quebec)
November 30, 2011
Entrepreneur Luc Poirier has announced that he hopes to invest in the construction of a new tunnel to connect the South Shore and Île Notre-Dame. An investment without public funds to improve traffic flow in the metropolitan region.
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Before
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During construction
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After
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Bicycle path
Documentation: