Canada's new infrastructure minister says he plans to meet with the people overseeing construction of a new $4.2-billion bridge in Montreal to figure out if, and how, the project can be done on time.
The Champlain Bridge project is supposed to be completed this December.
A May report from the federal auditor general raised doubts about whether the construction consortium could have work done by Dec. 21, and a strike by crane operators in June has further pressed construction timelines.
Newly appointed Infrastructure Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he is not sure work can be accelerated enough through the summer construction season to make up for lost time, and he won't know for certain until after meeting with all involved.
Champagne also wants to find ways to more quickly spend federal infrastructure cash, saying he wants to focus on projects that are urgently needed and ready to go.
The Quebec MP was shuffled Wednesday from the international trade portfolio and spent much of Friday speaking with provincial, territorial and municipal leaders involved in the infrastructure file.