Access to Northvolt’s land is “unsafe” for the volume of traffic expected during construction of its megafactory. Quebec will pay 22.5 million for the development of a temporary road, but will also have to think about “active mobility” in the sector, warns the City of Saint-Basile-le-Grand.
“If the government wants social acceptability, it must help us build bridges so that pedestrians and cyclists, for example, no longer have to rub shoulders with cars [on Route 116],” said Wednesday the mayor of the municipality, Yves Lessard, in a telephone interview with La Presse.
Saint-Basile-le-Grand will receive the money to carry out the work on the temporary road, near the junction of rang des Trente and route 116. The payments will be spread over three years. The grant is not part of billions of dollars in aid offered to the company by governments. On Wednesday, Mr. Lessard was unable to give an idea of how the temporary access road would be designed. We need to look at the plans and specifications, he said.
Northvolt must settle on the former land of the Canadian Industries Limited (CIL) explosives factory, which straddles the municipalities of Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville. This land covers an area of 170 hectares – approximately 130 football fields.
“Due to the high traffic […], access to this site is practically inadequate and unsafe for the estimated traffic flows that the construction of the factories will generate,” we can read in the Legault government decree. Saint-Basile-le-Grand and its partner [McMasterville] must therefore set up a temporary access road in order to serve road transport needs, mainly during the construction period and start-up of the factories. »
The Northvolt complex – where battery cells will be produced, the last step before battery assembly – will be located near a railway line belonging to the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) as well as of route 116. To the south, the land is bordered by route 223.
Between 100 and 150 trucks should circulate in the surrounding area during the construction phase, the young company explained during public information sessions last October. The temporary access road is good news, believes Mr. Lessard, who invites the Legault government to quickly look into the issue of footbridges.
The mayor of Saint-Basile-le-Grand affirms that the reception is favorable in Quebec.
“With Northvolt, we are adding to traffic,” said Mr. Lessard. Footbridges are the best way to improve fluidity in the area around Route 116. All of this must be done at the same time as the construction of the factory. Otherwise, we will lose social acceptability. »
Mr. Lessard would like to see the Legault government finance the construction of two footbridges straddling Route 116. The first would be located at the intersection of Montée Robert. The second, at the height of Boulevard du Millénaire, specifies the mayor of Saint-Basile-le-Grand.
These subjects are likely to be addressed next Tuesday, during a public information session planned in Saint-Basile-le-Grand where representatives of the Quebec government “will respond to citizens’ questions and concerns, particularly in matters of ‘environment, traffic management and road projects’ resulting from the arrival of Northvolt.
The same exercise will be held the day before in McMasterville.
Northvolt predicts its factory will cost $7 billion. Quebec and Ottawa will finance the construction to the tune of 3 billion in addition to offering a production subsidy of up to 4.6 billion. The company submitted its request for ministerial authorization for the first phase of its work last September.
She hopes to be able to begin work by the end of the year.
