Port of Québec gears up for upgrades

The funding will be used for infrastructure improvements at three different port sectors.    The Port of Québec is receiving $15.5 million Canadian (U.S. $12.1 million) in financial support from the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF) for infrastructure restoration.
   Situated on the St. Lawrence Seaway, the port provides the shortest route by sea between Europe and the Great Lakes.
   The funds the port is receiving will be used for infrastructure upgrades at the Anse au Foulon, Estuaire and Beauport port sectors.
   At the Anse au Foulon sector, where infrastructure was built nearly 100 years ago, upgrades will be made to the existing rail transport infrastructure and road infrastructure, as well as the electrical network and water system.
   Meanwhile, in the port’s Estuaire sector, repairs will be made to the drawbridge structure, motors and gears, giving the drawbridge at least 30 years of useful life, Transport Canada said.
   The other project will restore strategic infrastructure in the Anse au Foulon and Beauport sectors to address the deterioration of the wharves.
   “This $15.5 million contribution from the Canadian government is critically important,” said Mario Girard, president and chief executive officer of the Québec Port Authority. “It will allow us to move forward with a major $30 million infrastructure rehabilitation program. This is undoubtedly the most ambitious rehabilitation program our port infrastructure has seen since we were designated a port authority in the late 1990s.”