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The Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) will begin work on Phase 3 of the St-Laurent Boulevard extension project in fall 2005. The St-Laurent Boulevard extension will cross Gatineau Park for a distance of 1.6 kilometres and will be the final link in an east–west artery joining highway 148 (Aylmer sector) and highway 50 (Hull sector) in Gatineau. It will be a landscaped, four-lane boulevard with a central median and a parallel recreational pathway. The portion crossing Gatineau Park (from Lac des Fées Parkway to St-Raymond Boulevard) is expected to be completed in 2008.
Transport Canada is the lead federal agency for the project, while the project proponent is the MTQ. The project is jointly funded by Transport Canada and the MTQ. The NCC has provided Federal Land Use Approval for the phase that crosses Gatineau Park.
Process and Public Consultations
The extension of St-Laurent Boulevard is the result of a federal–provincial agreement signed in 1972 and has been reflected in all NCC and regional plans since then, including the 1990 and the 2005 Gatineau Park master plans.
Following extensive public consultations by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement du Québec, the Conseil des ministres du Québec approved this project in 2001. Based on this approval and a federal environmental assessment completed in May 2003, the Government of Canada approved the crossing of Gatineau Park by this regional transportation project deemed important for the development of the Outaouais region.
Mitigation Measures
The Government of Canada — including Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada and the NCC — has ensured that the project will take place with the least possible environmental impact, and has negotiated numerous mitigation measures with the MTQ. The Government of Canada will monitor progress to ensure the measures are respected.
Dozens of mitigation measures and design choices will reduce the potential effects on water quality in streams, soil quality, erosion, aquatic environments, wildlife habitats, wetlands, and flora and fauna, including species at risk. Two trees will be planted for every tree cut. The planted trees will be species native to Gatineau Park.
The federal government’s input also led to changes in the road’s planned alignment. The new alignment makes as little use as possible of sensitive forest land and marsh areas and maximum use of previously developed land, including a former municipal dump.
The NCC’s Plan for Canada’s Capital includes creating a direct link from the core area to Gatineau Park, as well as developing a green transportation plan presenting alternative ways of accessing Gatineau Park over the next decade. The extension of St-Laurent Boulevard and its new recreational pathway will create a direct link between Confederation Boulevard and the Gatineau Parkway, making access to the Park easier for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.
Public Information
For more information on this project, members of the public are invited to contact the Ministère des Transports du Québec at (819) 772-3107, extension 322, or visit the website at http://www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/en/index.asp.
Members of the public may also contact the NCC.