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 EstrieEstrie Transportation PlanTerritory The territory covered by the Estrie Transportation Plan is Administrative Region 05. The region contains 88 municipalities in 6 regional county municipalities: the Asbestos RCM, the Coaticook RCM, the Granit RCM, the Haut-Saint-François RCM, the Memphrémagog RCM and the Val-Saint-François RCM. In January 2002, the new City of Sherbrooke replaced the Région-Sherbrookoise RCM. Transportation plan The transportation plan is a tool used by the department to plan and prioritize, for all modes of transportation, the interventions most likely to respond for the long term to needs related to the transport of passengers and goods within a given territory. In the short term, the implementation of the plan is part of the action plan. It will take the form of cooperation, studies, transportation infrastructure work and programs of support for transportation partners. It was in 1997 that the ministère des Transports embarked on the development of the Estrie Transportation Plan. The plan contains the policy directions and objectives that will guide the department and its partners in transportation matters until 2016. The plan was developed in several stages, one of the most crucial of which consisted in conducting sectoral studies of the current situation and of transportation trends. On the basis of the studies and in collaboration with stakeholders, a regional transportation assessment was made and the issues, policy directions and objectives to be achieved in the years to come were defined. Policy directions of the Estrie Transportation Plan
Action plan The action plan summarizes the commitments made by the ministère des Transports and the action it intends to take to implement the five main policy directions and the objectives indicated in the transportation plan. To the extent possible, it incorporates regional development policy directions, and the comments and concerns expressed by organizations, groups and individuals in the public consultation held in the fall of 2001. The plan is designed to be a dynamic planning instrument; this is why the department and regional stakeholders are to monitor it jointly and regularly throughout its application. The action plan provides for department investments of nearly $330 million in the Estrie region over the next five years. WorkUnder the 2003-2008 program, the department will devote almost $249 million to improving the safety, quality and functionality of the primary road network. Some $92 million will be invested in developing the road network. Four major projects are slated: doubling the lanes of Autoroute 55; building a new link between Autoroute 410, west of the Sherbrooke, and Highway 108, east of Lennoxville; and building a bypass road around the Danville urban area and another bypass road to reduce truck traffic in downtown Lac-Mégantic. Nearly $52 million will be used to improve the current road network and $84 million will be earmarked to preserve pavements. Lastly, the department will spend $21 million to maintain and improve the condition of bridges and structures. In particular, it will ensure better supervision of the inspection of structures, according to, among other things, ISO certification already obtained. Support for municipalities and partnersIn addition to investments to improve Estrie’s road infrastructures, the department will support its partners in the field of passenger and goods transportation. As regards passenger transportation, the department will invest $17 million and will provide municipalities with some $64 million in financial support. Document
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