Thank you, Mr. Carrier. I, too, am very pleased to see you again as Opposition critic for transportation.
Let's begin with the most important issues. You may not have mentioned them in your question, but they are worthy of mention. In terms of letting contracts to rebuild the deck of the Mercier Bridge, which was very much in need of work, we announced funding of some $60 million for that purpose several weeks ago.
As regards the $20 million you spoke of, this is an amount provided annually for maintenance of the Champlain and Jacques Cartier Bridges. The Champlain Bridge, based on what I have been told, is very safe and its deck will only need to be rebuilt some 12 or 15 years from now. It is fulfilling its proper function and is very safe.
You are right to refer to the discussions which took place regarding traffic on the Island of Montreal. On a daily basis, more than 57,000 vehicles an hour use the Champlain Bridge, if I am not mistaken. It is operating at full capacity.
I have begun discussions with my colleague, Ms. Boulet. As you know, we are working very closely with officials at the Quebec Ministry of Transportation. Earlier, we announced $465 million to fund construction work on Highway 30, a major project taking place in the Greater Montreal region. In that case and in the others, we will be working very closely with the Government of Quebec and we will be looking at all the available options.