Alghabra provides update on Lac-Megantic bypass project

Canada’s Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra last week announced steps taken toward completion of the Lac-Megantic bypass project in Quebec.

Recent achievements include the following:

• An office opened in Lac-Megantic to facilitate discussions with the owners as part of the land acquisition.
• The first offers to purchase the land have been submitted. Offers will continue to be submitted gradually over the coming weeks.
• A number of studies were completed, including those on soil and water quality, vehicle traffic and archeology. The data obtained will help advance the plans and specifications under development.
• The plans and specifications reached the 30% progress mark and were submitted to the Canadian Transportation Agency in order to initiate the project approval process.
• A number of other studies and works are underway to incorporate the identified environmental protection measures into the project.

Once all regulatory authorizations are obtained, the construction phase can begin.

The eight-mile project is being built in response to the July 2013 Lac-Megantic rail disaster, in which an unattended crude-oil train, which had been parked in Nantes at the top of a slope, rolled down the hill before derailing at a high rate of speed in Lac-Megantic. The derailment led to an explosion and fire that killed 47 people and destroyed Lac-Megantic's downtown.

The rail bypass project was developed to provide security for the town while ensuring local businesses can continue to access rail transportation.

"I want to reiterate that the Lac-Megantic rail bypass will continue to be a priority for the government of Canada until it is fully completed in 2023," Alghabra said in a press release. "We will make every effort  to move the work forward and complete the project, and ensure that this line is operational in support of rebuilding the communities of Lac-Megantic, Nantes and Frontenac."