MONTREAL — Electronic tolls on all of Quebec’s main highways would bring in up to $1.6 billion per year, according to an economic note published by the Montreal Economic Institute.

The report, authored by economist Mathieu Laberge, examines four scenarios for instituting charges of this type.

Laberge explains that “a return to tolls would be helpful in guaranteeing stable financing for maintenance and rebuilding of the highway network as well as minimizing traffic jams and slowing growth of the government debt.”

He suggests a “network” approach under which all highways with sufficient traffic volumes would be subject to tolls rather than tolls being applied only to new infrastructure. He says income from tolls should be used exclusively for maintaining and rebuilding infrastructure near where they are collected since any other use would constitute a hidden tax and would undermine the legitimacy of tolls among motorists.

Tolls disappeared from Quebec in the 1980s but will soon be back with the new Highway 25 bridge and the Highway 30 extension. This provides a good opportunity to assess the feasibility of extending tolls over a larger portion of the highway network, says Laberge.

The economist examined several areas for such a plan: Montreal Island bridges; highways in the Montreal area; highways around major urban areas; or all main highways in Quebec.

“The last of these is the most attractive because, by affecting most Quebec motorists, it would help reduce implicit subsidies to motorists who do not live near the major urban areas,” stated the report.

The Montreal Island bridges alone would generate revenues of $449 million.

“To share the inherent risk of highway projects with the private sector, to promote innovation and, above all, to prevent the government from being tempted to reach into toll revenues for purposes other than infrastructure maintenance and rebuilding, it would be desirable for the new tolls to be instituted in the form of public-private partnerships,” according to the report.