Canadian government announces agreements to allow work to begin on Lac-Mégantic bypass

LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — Two key agreements to allow work to begin on the bypass to reroute rail traffic out of downtown Lac-Mégantic have been signed, Canadian Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez said Friday, setting the stage for the first work to move forward more than a decade after the derailment and fire that killed 47 people.

A Transport Canada press release says the federal government and City of Lac-Mégantic have signed a contribution agreement will allow the city to carry out preparatory work for bypass construction; the Canadian Press reports 60% of those costs will be paid by the federal government while the province of Quebec will cover the rest. The cost, once estimated at C$133 million, will be “much higher,” Rodriguez said, although he could not provide a new estimate.

The federal government has also signed an agreement with Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s subsidiary Central Maine & Quebec outlining terms for the railway to carry out the project. That agreement also allows the process of contracting a firm to perform the work to begin.

“I strongly believe in the importance of the bypass project,” said Rodriguez, who became transport minister in July. “This is a project like no other and trains must leave downtown. As the new Minister of Transport, I am committed to doing everything possible to achieve this goal as soon as possible.”

Rodriguez also met with the mayors of the neighboring communities of Frontenac and Nantes, where opposition to the bypass remains high. The CBC reports one member of a local coalition of about 300 people opposing the project contends Friday’s announcement was premature because the project has yet to receive the required approval from the Canadian Transportation Agency.

Those opposed include the 43 landowners who have had property expropriated for the bypass, as well as others who contend the project poses a risk to local water supplies. The opponents are seeking an injunction to stop the project; a hearing on that request is set for later this month.