Green house gases
The construction would cause a permanent decrease in the emission of green house gases due to the stopping of:
The operation of one, two or three ferries, day and night.
- The operation of the motors of vehicles while waiting on the dock and during the crossing.
- The emission of gas from vehicles.
- Gases produced by the delays and waiting between La Malbaie and Les Escoumins, particularly when vehicles are slowed down by the formation of long strings of traffic.
- When a vehicule do an extra 110 km detour on the 172 to Saguenay.
Flora and Fauna
The permanent circulation of ferry boats day and night could have undesirable effects on the marine mammals at the mouth of the Saguenay. On the other hand, the construction of a bridge could cause inconveniences during dynamiting or other manoeuvres. Certain bird of prey reproduction areas must be protected or reconstructed.
Here are 2 studies about the whales of the estuary:
- You can consult the beluga study made by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS). They've researched on Maritime Traffic and Navigational Interactions in St. Lawrence Estuary with the repopulation of the beluga whale.
- An other study on the evidence that ship noise increases stress in right whales, a study this time made by the royal society here: baleine_noise_study.
The Saguenay Park
By Cephas via Wikimedia Commons
This park, formed by the Marine Park of Saguenay-St. Lawrence under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada and the Saguenay Park under the jurisdiction of Parks Quebec, is a determinant entity in the evolution of the construction project. The construction of a bridge would allow the two parts of this park to be joined by road while at the moment, they can only be linked by boat at the mouth of the Saguenay. Pointe Noire on the Baie St. Catherine side would become more easily accessible with the new path of the highway 138 after the completion of the bridge.