Traffic flow between the northern suburbs and the Montreal Metropolitan area is a key issue in
many respects. Solutions currently under development include enhancing public transit service
and upgrading the current roadway.
The project involves building a 7.2 km four-lane section between Highway 440 in Laval and
Henri-Bourassa Boulevard in Montreal. This includes the construction of a six-lane bridge
across Rivière des Prairies. The bridge will be equipped with a free-flow electronic toll collection
system, in other words, payment is made automatically and users are not required to stop at a
toll-booth. The project, carried out by Concession A25 S.E.C. (CA25) in partnership with the
Ministère des transports du Québec (MTQ), is the first project run as part of a public-private
partnership (PPP) in Quebec. Kiewit-Parsons (KP) is responsible for design and construction.
The purpose of this PPP-driven project is clearly to ensure a rapid road-transport alternative—a
new service that will benefit users, communities, investors and partners—while complying with
the most current sustainable-development standards which call for balanced economic,
environmental and social aspects.
In the planning phase before the partnership agreement was signed, the project followed
standard practices in Quebec which include an impact study and public consultation by the
Bureau d’audiences publiques en environnement (BAPE). Following this process, the Quebec
Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP) issued an
order setting out 33 conditions. In this PPP-driven project, a number of the obligations
established in the order were transferred to the private partner. This new approach to managing
design and construction in this type of project required that all of the parties, including the MTQ,
CA25 and KP, develop various and innovative management approaches. The MDDEP also
adapted its management of the environmental permit issuing process.
All of the solutions presented are administered as part of an environmental management system
ISO 14001-certified within nine months as set out in the partnership agreement between the
MTQ and CA25, and based on KP’s existing environmental management system. Certification
shows that the company has clearly identified the major environmental impacts of the project
and that it manages them in a manner consistent with all of the requirements. Frequent audits
(internal/external) validate the proper operation of the system and compliance with all of the
requirements. Within KP, an “environment” unit (two to three individuals, depending on the
season) ,which reports directly to the project manager, audits the enforcement of mitigation
measures and prepares the required daily reports.