MONTREAL - In a province often plagued by construction delays, the final key segment of a bridge connecting Highway 25 to the island of Montreal was installed Friday.
The bridge connecting Anjou to the Duvernay district of Laval was originally scheduled to be open to the public in July 2011, but that schedule has been moved up two months.
Daniel Toutant, CEO of Concession 25, the private company working with the government, is very happy with the project."If we succeed it is not only because we had good workers and all of that, it is because everyone was in the mindframe of a partnership and we had a common objective," he said.
"I'm sure that there will be lesson learned from that."
However the public-private partnership in charge of the construction says many things have to worked on before the toll bridge will be open to commuters.
7.2 kilometres of connecting roads, safety barriers, and many other necessary elements will be worked on over the winter and spring.
Taking the new bridge will come with a cost: $2.40 in tolls will be collected during rush hour, and $1.80 all other times. Tolls will be collected electronically so drivers should not have to slow down while they commute.
Concession 25 will collect 50 percent of the toll revenue, and will be responsible for maintaining the bridge for the next 35 years.
The public-private partnership is the first of its kind in Quebec when it comes to transport infrastructure projects.
Highway 30 extension opens
Meanwhile the latest extension of Highway 30 is now open to drivers.
Friday's opening means motorists can now stay at highway speeds for nine kilometres while they take the 30 from Candiac to Ste. Catherine -- at which point they connect to a previously built section of Highway 30 which is also known as l'Autoroute de l'Acier.
The final construction joining Highway 20 in Vaudreuil-Dorion and the South Shore are scheduled to be completed in 2012.
