Quebec's Highways

[Richard3]

There was another protest against A-20 extension at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges from what I read on these French articles suggesting instead improving PQ-132.
https://www.infodimanche.com/actualites/actualite/608431/une-mobilisation-contre-lautoroute-20-a-notre-dame-des-neiges
https://www.msn.com/fr-ca/actualites/quebec-canada/les-opposants-au-prolongement-de-l-a-20-se-font-encore-entendre/ar-BB1lbAgV

They should have a chat with the folks who can't stand 18-wheels trucks anymore.
https://www.msn.com/fr-ca/actualites/est-du-quebec/exc%C3%A9d%C3%A9s-par-le-bruit-des-citoyens-r%C3%A9clament-lautoroute-20-%C3%A0-saint-fabien/ar-AA1eYxio

It's always the same thing.

A new highway is like a bridge; before building it, nobody wants it, but once built, everybody takes it.

I made a run to Mont-Joli some days ago, and I can certify here that it would be a lot safer run if it was done on a divided four-lane freeway. I made my way to Mont-Joli in early morning (I reached my customer at 7:10 AM), and it was OK, but my return was a bit later, and if no traffic jams were noted, it was quite heavier than in the morning. And the tourist period is not begun yet.

The MTQ can put some signage for tourists (the blue signs are great for that), or may build exits between villages instead of connecting them directly, in order to make some touristic circuits, and help storekeepers to stay alive, but all the heavy traffic will definitely benefit of a brand new A-20 in this area.

The best way to secure a route is by separating local/tourist traffic from the transiting one, and the best way to do so is to built a new freeway a bit away from homes and villages. The local population will gain more quality of living by removing all transiting trucks from local roads, like the 132.

But on the other hand, with an 11-billion$ deficit in the last Quebec provincial budget, I think we must be patient.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Meanwhile in Quebec:

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/video/c2910630-should-quebec-increase-speed-limits-on-highways-

They are happy with the 100 km/h speed limit with no plans to raise it to 110 km/h.

[LilianaUwU]

They are happy with the 100 km/h speed limit with no plans to raise it to 110 km/h.

Of course they are, they can rack up more speeding tickets that way.

[vdeane]

At this point, I think we can comfortably say that Québec has the lowest speed limits in all of Canada (the Oregon of the North, I suppose, although even Oregon has 70 now).  Didn't the PQ propose raising the limit to 120 in the last election?

[oscar]

^ Yukon and NWT max out at 90km/h, and Nunavut's roads (the few it has are all locally-maintained, except in territorial parks) even less. AFAIK (haven't been there lately), in Newfoundland the speed limits tend to be 10km/h lower than for comparable highways in Quebec.

[froggie]

^ Yukon and NWT max out at 90km/h, and Nunavut's roads (the few it has are all locally-maintained, except in territorial parks) even less. AFAIK (haven't been there lately), in Newfoundland the speed limits tend to be 10km/h lower than for comparable highways in Quebec.

A quick check of GMSV along various rural portions of TCH-1 in Newfoundland shows 100km/h speed limits, as did NL-2 west of TCH-1 and NL-70 coming off TCH-1.  I did not check lower-level roads.

[vdeane]

^ Yukon and NWT max out at 90km/h, and Nunavut's roads (the few it has are all locally-maintained, except in territorial parks) even less. AFAIK (haven't been there lately), in Newfoundland the speed limits tend to be 10km/h lower than for comparable highways in Quebec.

None of the territories have freeways, and 90 matches the maximum MTQ will post on anything that isn't an autoroute or QC 175 between Québec and Saguenay.  And Nunavut doesn't have long-distance rural mileage.

[LilianaUwU]

QC 175 between Québec and Saguenay

That's basically a freeway anyways. It has at-grade intersections, but to be fair, so does A-955, which is also posted at 100.

[Richard3]

At this point, I think we can comfortably say that Québec has the lowest speed limits in all of Canada (the Oregon of the North, I suppose, although even Oregon has 70 now).  Didn't the PQ propose raising the limit to 120 in the last election?

In 2022 general elections, it's the PCQ (Quebec Conservative Party) that promised 120 km/h on freeways, but under certain conditions.

[vdeane]

^ Yukon and NWT max out at 90km/h, and Nunavut's roads (the few it has are all locally-maintained, except in territorial parks) even less. AFAIK (haven't been there lately), in Newfoundland the speed limits tend to be 10km/h lower than for comparable highways in Quebec.

None of the territories have freeways, and 90 matches the maximum MTQ will post on anything that isn't an autoroute or QC 175 between Québec and Saguenay.  And Nunavut doesn't have long-distance rural mileage.

Not to mention the many autoroutes around Montréal that are posted at 70, often for seemingly no reason.  There are also enough rural two-lane roads posted at 70 that there were times I thought I was in a metric Connecticut when I was there over the weekend.

[LilianaUwU]

^ Yukon and NWT max out at 90km/h, and Nunavut's roads (the few it has are all locally-maintained, except in territorial parks) even less. AFAIK (haven't been there lately), in Newfoundland the speed limits tend to be 10km/h lower than for comparable highways in Quebec.

None of the territories have freeways, and 90 matches the maximum MTQ will post on anything that isn't an autoroute or QC 175 between Québec and Saguenay.  And Nunavut doesn't have long-distance rural mileage.

Not to mention the many autoroutes around Montréal that are posted at 70, often for seemingly no reason.  There are also enough rural two-lane roads posted at 70 that there were times I thought I was in a metric Connecticut when I was there over the weekend.

Most of the time I've been on Montréal autoroutes, traffic was dense enough to not hit 70 anyways. For what it's worth, a lot of roads in my hometown were posted at 80, and only recently got lowered to 70 or 50.

[Stephane Dumas]

I saw this old photo showing the interchange north of Pierre-Laporte bridge.
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3164442?docref=nq0NDL7sBqONzR0rWg_1eg

[LilianaUwU]

I saw this old photo showing the interchange north of Pierre-Laporte bridge.
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3164442?docref=nq0NDL7sBqONzR0rWg_1eg

Back when it wasn't a perpetually clogged shitshow.

[Stephane Dumas]

The MTQ had selected the new alignment of PQ-170 at St-Bruno near Alma.
https://www.quebec.ca/transports/projets-routiers/saguenay-lac-saint-jean/route-170-saint-bruno-route-169-alma-construction

[LilianaUwU]

The MTQ had selected the new alignment of PQ-170 at St-Bruno near Alma.
https://www.quebec.ca/transports/projets-routiers/saguenay-lac-saint-jean/route-170-saint-bruno-route-169-alma-construction

There's a roundabout in there that does not belong. What's up with the MTQ butchering plans by putting roundabouts everywhere? See also QC 117 at Mont-Tremblant, A-73 in Saint-Georges, hell, even QC 199 in Grande-Entrée.

[vdeane]

So... is the plan to extend A-70 to the west officially dead?  Given that this has a roundabout and it does not appear there are any plans to upgrade the middle section to a freeway, that would imply that an autoroute designation is not in the cards, and yet the lowest exit number on A-70 is 26.

The MTQ had selected the new alignment of PQ-170 at St-Bruno near Alma.
https://www.quebec.ca/transports/projets-routiers/saguenay-lac-saint-jean/route-170-saint-bruno-route-169-alma-construction

There's a roundabout in there that does not belong. What's up with the MTQ butchering plans by putting roundabouts everywhere? See also QC 117 at Mont-Tremblant, A-73 in Saint-Georges, hell, even QC 199 in Grande-Entrée.

And New Brunswick

[Richard3]

So... is the plan to extend A-70 to the west officially dead?  Given that this has a roundabout and it does not appear there are any plans to upgrade the middle section to a freeway, that would imply that an autoroute designation is not in the cards, and yet the lowest exit number on A-70 is 26.

The MTQ had selected the new alignment of PQ-170 at St-Bruno near Alma.
https://www.quebec.ca/transports/projets-routiers/saguenay-lac-saint-jean/route-170-saint-bruno-route-169-alma-construction

There's a roundabout in there that does not belong. What's up with the MTQ butchering plans by putting roundabouts everywhere? See also QC 117 at Mont-Tremblant, A-73 in Saint-Georges, hell, even QC 199 in Grande-Entrée.

And New Brunswick

I guess the DOTs all around, especially in Canada, and particularly in Quebec, are afraid of environmentalists, and put lots of roundabouts all over new road projects, in order to avoid calling them "autoroutes" or "freeways".

But the problem is that those roundabouts will slow down traffic, and will eventually create brand new traffic jams. Probably not on what was supposed to be A-70 in Saguenay, but in many places LilianaUwU told us, like on QC-117 at Mont-Tremblant or A-73 in Saint-Goerges. The same is proposed on A-25 extension to Ste-Julienne, that will be another traffic jam spot once built; I easily can imagine that it will be almost impossible to take QC-125 roundabout towards Montreal on a Sunday night.

I guess that the most environmentalists that oppose any freeway project don't even have a car. Same old, same old...

[vdeane]

I guess the DOTs all around, especially in Canada, and particularly in Quebec, are afraid of environmentalists, and put lots of roundabouts all over new road projects, in order to avoid calling them "autoroutes" or "freeways".

But the problem is that those roundabouts will slow down traffic, and will eventually create brand new traffic jams. Probably not on what was supposed to be A-70 in Saguenay, but in many places LilianaUwU told us, like on QC-117 at Mont-Tremblant or A-73 in Saint-Goerges. The same is proposed on A-25 extension to Ste-Julienne, that will be another traffic jam spot once built; I easily can imagine that it will be almost impossible to take QC-125 roundabout towards Montreal on a Sunday night.

I guess that the most environmentalists that oppose any freeway project don't even have a car. Same old, same old...

The thing is, giving in to the anti-freeway lobby tends to save money, so it's very easy for DOTs to be convinced to go along with it, unless they're particularly pro-car like Texas and Florida are.  A roundabout is certainly cheaper than an interchange, both immediately and long-term (no bridges to maintain).

[Stephane Dumas]

I guess that the most environmentalists that oppose any freeway project don't even have a car. Same old, same old...

Or they have a car but only for them and not the thee just like some so-called green Hollywood stars who use their private jet and/or yatch.

However some disliked the chosen alignment and wanted a more northernly alignment.
https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2024/06/27/prolongement-de-la-route-170-des-proprietaires-de-saint-bruno-denoncent-le-trace-choisi
https://www.msn.com/fr-ca/actualites/quebec-canada/route-170-des-citoyens-de-saint-bruno-proposent-un-trac%C3%A9-encore-plus-au-nord/ar-BB1p5gG9

[Stephane Dumas]

It's a miracle then no one was seriously injured when a bus hit a Hydro-Quebec pylon.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/power-outage-mont%C3%A9r%C3%A9gie-bus-1.7256557

The pylon in question as seen on GSV. https://maps.app.goo.gl/eFZ3HMZdzBZktpt76

[cbeach40]

I guess the DOTs all around, especially in Canada, and particularly in Quebec, are afraid of environmentalists, and put lots of roundabouts all over new road projects, in order to avoid calling them "autoroutes" or "freeways".

Absolutely not, 100% of the time roundabout vs. interchange discussion comes up in engineering it's about cost and constructability. And for what it's worth the biggest environmentalist factors such as active transportation facilities will push the cost/benefit scoring towards interchange not roundabout.

Given that roundabout vs interchange is a $15-20 million dollar difference, if you don't have massive cross/turning traffic then the throughput of a multi-lane roundabout won't be too much of a penalty vs interchange.

But the problem is that those roundabouts will slow down traffic, and will eventually create brand new traffic jams. Probably not on what was supposed to be A-70 in Saguenay, but in many places LilianaUwU told us, like on QC-117 at Mont-Tremblant or A-73 in Saint-Goerges. The same is proposed on A-25 extension to Ste-Julienne, that will be another traffic jam spot once built; I easily can imagine that it will be almost impossible to take QC-125 roundabout towards Montreal on a Sunday night.

None of those locations look to be particularly high volume, multi-lane roundabouts should work fine.

[Stephane Dumas]

The city of Montreal uploaded on GSV, a street view of the path for pedestrians and bicycles on the new Champlain Bridge . https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zhtf9ATC88C1UQgV6

[LilianaUwU]

The city of Montreal uploaded on GSV, a street view of the path for pedestrians and bicycles on the new Champlain Bridge . https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zhtf9ATC88C1UQgV6

What's the point? The bike trail can be seen from regular GSV.

[oscar]

The city of Montreal uploaded on GSV, a street view of the path for pedestrians and bicycles on the new Champlain Bridge . https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zhtf9ATC88C1UQgV6

What's the point? The bike trail can be seen from regular GSV.

Also, how did the city/GSV shoot images of the bike/ped path from the point of view of path users (maybe with a miniature helmet-mounted camera)? Or did they instead find a way to get the images from a motor vehicle on the adjacent Champlain Bridge main lane, and then manipulate the images to make them look like they were shot from the path?

[Stephane Dumas]

The city of Montreal uploaded on GSV, a street view of the path for pedestrians and bicycles on the new Champlain Bridge . https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zhtf9ATC88C1UQgV6

What's the point? The bike trail can be seen from regular GSV.

Also, how did the city/GSV shoot images of the bike/ped path from the point of view of path users (maybe with a miniature helmet-mounted camera)? Or did they instead find a way to get the images from a motor vehicle on the adjacent Champlain Bridge main lane, and then manipulate the images to make them look like they were shot from the path?

I go with a miniature helmet-mounted camera or having the miniature camera put in a jacket.