MONTREAL, Que. – The Quebec government took a major step towards the province’s selection of a private partner for the completion of Hwy 30, narrowing the field of candidates to three.

The request for proposals is the second step in the private-partner selection process, and will lead to the signing of a partnership agreement. The selection process is a joint initiative by Transports Quebec and Partenariats public-prive Quebec; however, Transports Quebec is the prime contractor for the entire project. The three qualified candidates will now submit proposals that meet the technical and financial requirements for the completion of the western section of Hwy 30.

The highlights of the draft partnership agreement are: a draft 35-year agreement for the design, construction, financing, operation, maintenance and repair of the infrastructure; risk and responsibility sharing, including where the private partner would assume the risks of cost overruns and schedule delays; compensation for the private partner’s construction, capital, operation, maintenance and repair expenses, as well as money from tolls; and additional sections that the private partner could finance, operate, maintain and repair.

Tolls were initially planned for the entire western section, but now will be collected only on the bridge spanning the St. Lawrence River, between Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Dorion.