Spiralling costs for Dorval circle project

A long-awaited renovation of the Dorval Circle interchange, which would link up Highways 20 and 520 directly to Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport, as well as between themselves, will cost about $224 million, or $74 million more than previously planned, according to Marquette MNA François Ouimet.

"We (…) had to factor in several millions of dollars for the train," Ouimet said, explaining how another long-term project in the area, a high-speed rail link between Dorval and downtown Montreal, would have to be made room for when the highway extensions are created.

Furthermore, Ouimet said, the original project was calculated in 2003 with the dollar value back then in mind, and costs had to be re-assessed according to the value of the Canadian dollar in 2008, as well as a forecast of the dollar value in 2012.

The news conference highlighted the collaborative nature of the interchange project, with the federal government, the provincial government, Montreal's agglomeration council and Aéroports de Montréal, the federal government-created body running the airport, all pitching in.

However, nobody at the conference could confirm exactly how much each partner would pitch in. "We had exact percentages when the cost was $150 million," said Ouimet, but they have not been updated along with the new price tag.

In 2008-2009, the provincial Transport Ministry will invest $30 million into the project, with a third of that provided by the federal government.

The project will also prolong Dorval Avenue to the north and will also create a bike path along Cardinal Avenue, which is intended to eventually join a path in Pointe Claire.

"This (project) is not only for the people of Dorval," said Mayor Edgar Rouleau, but for anybody who uses the interchange. "After about 15 years of discussing the file, I am very happy about the announcement made today," he added. "This is excellent news for the citizens of Dorval, who will see congestion and long minutes of waiting at rush hour eliminated."

As preparatory work for the project goes underway, a temporary route on Bouchard Street on the north side of Highway 20 will be created, according to the Quebec Ministry of Transport.

The rail shuttle linking Dorval to Montreal and the remainder of the West Island is in its planning stages. "We know it will be finished later (than the interchange)," Ouimet said, but the Quebec Transport Ministry nevertheless decided it would be better to plan room for a rail system in advance.

Currently, the rail shuttle project has a steering committee appointed, which will decide an "optimal rail route" for the train shuttle by the end of the year.

The Dorval interchange project has long been bandied about, with an original proposal submitted in 1997 for a 2001 construction date. Delayed, it was subjected to public consultations in late 2005 after a series of preliminary studies were conducted over the two previous years. Back then, the project was expected to start in 2006 for a 2009 end date.

The revised project is expected to be finished in 2013.