Meeting with the Minister of Transport: Beaconsfield gets a Unique Offer to Construct a Sound Barrier Along Autoroute 20

BEACONSFIELD, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Sept. 4, 2015) - After an initial meeting with the Transport Minister, Robert Poëti, and Beaconsfield Mayor, Georges Bourelle, Quebec Government is proposing to build a sound barrier on the south side of Autoroute 20 using a cost-sharing formula which will reduce the City's share of the cost from 10 to 5 million dollars.

"I am very satisfied with the meeting we had yesterday with Robert Poëti, the Minister of Transport and the Minister responsible for the Montreal area and our deputy, Geoffrey Kelley, Minister of Native Affairs," said Mayor Bourelle. "This is the first time in 30 years that we have had an opportunity to meet with the Minister of Transport on this issue, and the results are encouraging and promising."

The Minister was briefed on the growing noise nuisance experienced by Beaconsfield residents along the Autoroute. After being informed of the financial limitations faced by the municipality in building infrastructure of this magnitude on the property of the Ministère des Transports, the Minister acknowledged the importance of this issue.

The Ministère's cost-sharing rules normally require municipalities to match provincial funding amounts. However, Quebec has agreed to cover three quarters instead of half of the project's cost, in light of the gradual transformation of Route 20 into a highway, the increased speed limit, and the growth in vehicular traffic.

According to the ministerial proposal, the sound barrier will cost $20.5 million. Beaconsfield residents will be responsible for $5 million, paid for through a cost-sharing plan to be defined by the municipality. Public approval of the proposed formula will be required for the project to move forward.

"This is a very interesting offer. As usual, we will consult residents, debate with transparency and decide bearing in mind the common good of our community," stated the Mayor.

The municipal delegation led by Mayor Bourelle included City Councillor Karen Messier, the Director General, Patrice Boileau, and two members of the citizen's committee on the noise barrier, Derrick Pounds and Ron Belair.