Ottawa to invests US$35.5m in Montreal port roads

THE Montreal Port Authority (MPA) will benefit from C$45.8 million (US$35.5 million) in federal spending on the road network next to the harbour under the National Trade Corridors Fund programme.

“This announcement has a direct impact on the Port of Montreal and its many partners, and it is a mobilising project that will make a contribute to improving the flow of freight transport by road in the city,” said MPA president and CEO Sylvie Vachon.

The past five years have been marked by sustained growth in the economy and international trade at the Port of Montreal, clearly reflected in an increase in traffic, especially goods moved by containers.

“To support this increase, it became imperative to keep improving the road network system near our facilities, in collaboration with our partners in the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal, so that goods can be more smoothly moved by truck, and that is exactly the goal of the project announced today,” added Ms Vachon.

The extension of l’Assomption Boulevard coupled with the port’s construction of an overpass spanning Notre Dame Street will help complete the traffic circulation loop, intended for heavy vehicles that enter and leave the Port of Montreal, by providing direct access to the facilities.

This will lighten the local road network; congestion and wait times will be reduced for citizens and transport companies.