Costs to rebuild the Autoroute 35 pedestrian and bicycle overpass, along Normandie Boulevard, continue to rise. Initially estimated at $10 million, then at $12.2 million, the investment required by the City of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to carry out this project is now estimated at $18 million. At the meeting of April 25, the elected officials adopted a resolution to submit an application for eligibility for a grant related to the Normandy footbridge reconstruction project. In said document, we read that the project is estimated at $18 million. This cost, including the demolition of the current footbridge, is a conservative amount, specifies the City. According to our information, the real value of the work to come could be higher. However, the true cost of the project will be known when the City calls for tenders to entrust the work to a contractor. The City is still in the process of drawing up plans and specifications for the new footbridge. It is also preparing its next three-year capital expenditure program (PTI) which will cover the years 2024, 2025 and 2026. This new PTI should be presented to the public in June. At that time, a more precise figure would be entered there for this project. The increase in prices is attributable to inflation, the increase in the price of materials and the shortage of labour. Active mobility Mayor Andrée Bouchard wants the Normandie footbridge to be rebuilt because it promotes sustainable mobility by linking the Saint-Gérard and Normandie districts. She points out that students from the Chanoine-Armand-Racicot high school use it to get to school. The structure is also used by citizens, in particular by those who want to go to the Haut-Richelieu Hospital. Ms. Bouchard, however, hopes that the realization of this project respects the ability of citizens to pay. The City is also hoping to obtain a $2 million grant from the Ministère des Transports et la Mobilité durable to carry out the reconstruction. This amount would be part of its financial assistance program for the development of active transportation in urban areas. The new version of the footbridge would allow the passage of pedestrians, but also cyclists and people with reduced mobility. The structure would also be accessible year-round, and therefore wide enough to allow the passage of snow removal vehicles in the winter season. History The Normandie footbridge was built in 1974. The City wishes to rebuild it since its structure is reaching the end of its useful life. In 2019, an expert concluded that it was good for a period of seven to eight years. That takes us to 2026 or 2027. In 2021, the city council of the time launched a call for tenders to begin the production of plans and specifications in anticipation of its reconstruction. At that time, the cost of the project was estimated at $10 million. A contract worth $889,101.68 was awarded in January 2022 to the firm CIMA+. In particular, the latter had to develop concepts and present them to the municipal council. Once the design of the footbridge was selected, a period of about two years was necessary to design the plans and specifications. The footbridge was included in the 2023-2025 three-year capital expenditure program, adopted in June 2022. The value of the work was then estimated at $12.2 million and the reconstruction was scheduled for 2024.