Long-suffering drivers in montreal heaved a sigh of relief in September. So did trucking companies and other businesses.

Ottawa has announced it will build a new bridge to replace the often “closed for repairs” Champlain Bridge, Canada’s busiest span and one of its most dilapidated.

The Champlain is a commuting and economic lifeline for Quebec, used by motorists crossing the St. Lawrence River between Montreal Island and sprawling suburbs to the south, as well as by trucks transporting goods via the U.S. border, 50 kilometres from Montreal. Extended closure of the bridge — for repairs, for example — would cost both Quebec and Canada hundreds of millions of dollars in lost economic activity.

But the relief has turned to consternation, as it becomes clear the new bridge is far off in the distance.

How far is an open question. As it turns out, few details had been worked out before federal Transport Minister Denis Lebel made the announcement — including the cost, a timeline or whether the new span will feature a long-sought light-rail transit system.

Worse, the announcement began with a snub that does not bode well: Lebel decided not to invite his Quebec counterpart, provincial Transport Minister Pierre Moreau, to the bridge announcement. Lebel also failed to consult the province before making the announcement, prompting observers to wonder why Quebec was being frozen out of planning for a crucial new segment of its infrastructure.

The reason for the brush-off isn’t known. Among other things, there’s speculation that Ottawa is worried the rest of Canada will perceive the bridge as being some kind of gift to Quebec.

The new bridge will, after all, cost somewhere between $3 billion and $5 billion. That big, $2-billion gap in the bridge’s estimated cost is only one of the vague elements of the bridge announcement. Although the federal government is leaning toward tolls and a public/private partnership (under which a private consortium would build and run the bridge), final decisions have not yet been made. The new bridge will probably open in 10 years, but that also is not set in stone.

Ottawa is also noncommittal on what type of bridge will be built. Prominent architects, engineers and heritage activists fear authorities will opt for cheap rather than creative among the five design concepts that have already been explored. These range from utilitarian but less expensive concrete slabs to designs with greater visual appeal. A group of these concerned citizens sent an open letter to the federal government, urging that an international competition be held for a design that would be “a work of art.” The span, they say, should be as dramatic as the view from the bridge, with its “vast and powerful panorama” of Montreal, the mountain and the river.

Motorists and business people in Montreal also hope the new bridge moves ahead faster than one that is supposed to link Windsor, Ont., and Detroit. Ottawa has been working on that project since 2004, and it’s still unclear if and when construction will begin.  IE