Quebec's Highways

[Stephane Dumas]

Funny note : 1976 Topographical Map shows this strectch of highway numbered as "50".

We could talk of a goof or "predictive programming", lol.   That gap of PQ-148 was always known as PQ-8 before the big renumbering of the early-to-mid 1970s while PQ-50 was replaced by PQ-141.

[Stephane Dumas]

I saw this old report from 1987 who suggested some ideas as a replacement for the dropping of A-55 original alignment.
http://www.bv.transports.gouv.qc.ca/mono/1158503.pdf

Edit: On page 3, they show a map showing the original A-55 alignment where the MTQ gived back the ROW to the original owner and it could be interesting to upload where that aligment would had used on Google maps.

[roadman65]

https://goo.gl/maps/xKrgSsPsMuk96j3F8

What is the black octagon inside the red circle supposed to be under the Exit 1 sign on A-15?

[Alps]

https://goo.gl/maps/xKrgSsPsMuk96j3F8

What is the black octagon inside the red circle supposed to be under the Exit 1 sign on A-15?

no stopping

[Stephane Dumas]

I saw this vintage news report about the construction of the Pierre-Laporte bridge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiNzvYjzLOo

[roadman65]

Do they still have the folded diamonds with trumpets on the south shore?  To me I would assume it would cause weaving below and why leave it.

[Stephane Dumas]

Do they still have the folded diamonds with trumpets on the south shore?  To me I would assume it would cause weaving below and why leave it.

Yes, A-10 still have them at the interchanges with PQ-227, PQ-139, PQ-243.

[Alps]

The southern terminus of A-73 is a roundabout, and that appears likely to still be part of the highway if it's extended. Is there any other roundabout on a mainline Autoroute? Nothing is coming to mind.

[oscar]

The southern terminus of A-73 is a roundabout, and that appears likely to still be part of the highway if it's extended. Is there any other roundabout on a mainline Autoroute? Nothing is coming to mind.

East end of A-70. East end of A-20's Rimouski segment (less likely to be extended east).

If you're counting 3-digit Autoroutes as "mainlines", the newly-extended A-410. No plans to extend A-410 again.

[Alps]

The southern terminus of A-73 is a roundabout, and that appears likely to still be part of the highway if it's extended. Is there any other roundabout on a mainline Autoroute? Nothing is coming to mind.

East end of A-70. East end of A-20's Rimouski segment (less likely to be extended east).

If you're counting 3-digit Autoroutes as "mainlines", the newly-extended A-410. No plans to extend A-410 again.

None of those seem like they would be extended beyond the roundabout - 70 is intriguing, only at the EB end.

[vdeane]

The roundabouts "on" A-70 and A-20 would become on interchange ramps were they to be extended.  That makes A-73 interesting, as I'm unaware of any plans to upgrade it to a proper interchange when the rest of the Saint-Georges bypass is built.

[Alps]

another note: QC 134's east end is well west of its west end, thanks to being "river east/west". Should just be signed N/S.

[Stephane Dumas]

another note: QC 134's east end is well west of its west end, thanks to being "river east/west". Should just be signed N/S.

And there was a time it was QC-116 who used the Jacques-Cartier bridge instead of QC-134 as shown in these topographic maps printed in 1980 and 1988.
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2704565
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2705036

And here a topographic map showing a part of the South Shore before QC-9 (current QC-116) and before the TCH.
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2246296

[webfil]

A-73 extension around Saint-Georges was part of an infrastructure fast-tracking bill that passed a few weeks ago. It will be interesting to see what form will it take (at-grade expressway? Super-2? 4 lane divided?), as the expected volume is quite lower than the existing stretch.

[webfil]

another note: QC 134's east end is well west of its west end, thanks to being "river east/west". Should just be signed N/S.

And there was a time it was QC-116 who used the Jacques-Cartier bridge instead of QC-134 as shown in these topographic maps printed in 1980 and 1988.
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2704565
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2705036

And here a topographic map showing a part of the South Shore before QC-9 (current QC-116) and before the TCH.
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2246296

116 never used the bridge; Natural Resources Canada must have had their conversion tables wrong. What was then route 9 (mostly, but not all replaced by R-116) and route 1 used to cross the river on Jacques-Cartier.

More precisely, Route 9 (Sir Wilfrid Laurier Way) used to span between US Border and Québec City following these contemporary routes : A-15, R-134, R-116, A-20, R-116 in Saint-Nicolas, R-132, R-175 over the Saint Lawrence then east towards the Parliament. It replaced routes 14 and 20, shown on the early map you linked.

Designed during WWII and built in mid-40's, route 9 was a prototype for a "superhighway" network that never was. Routes 9a, 9b and 9c would either link the highway to Montréal via Jacques-Cartier, Victoria and Honoré-Mercier bridges, or offer alternative routings (parts of actual R-217 and R-104).

http://numerique.banq.qc.ca has plenty of pictures under the keywords "voie Sir Wilfrid Laurier" or "Route 9".

EDIT : edited to clarify the probable RNCan mistake

[webfil]

Interchange between Côte-des-Neiges and Rememberance roads in Montréal to be demolished.

[froggie]

That's the vehicle access point to Mont Royal, right?

[webfil]

That's the vehicle access point to Mont Royal, right?

Exactly. The City of Montréal has been downsizing its mountain parkway for a couple of years. Rememberance Road went from 4-lane divided with buttonhook accesses to the parkings, to 2 lanes with intersections.

Following deaths and severe injuries of cyclists, the City has tried during some summers to barre through trafic between Camilien-Houde and Rememberance, except for buses and emergency vehicles ― to the dismay of the very vocal Westmount motorists, who use the park to travel between their homes and the Plateau, avoiding trafic lights on Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road or Pine Avenue.

[compdude787]

When I first saw that they'd be getting rid of an interchange, I was quite surprised, especially since I wasn't aware of its location. But considering it just serves a road going into a park, then there wasn't really much of a need for an interchange in the first place.

[webfil]

Bill 66 making way for big road projects :

• Work on A-19 extension should begin during Fall 2021, with the construction of Saint-Saëns interchange;
• Environmental assessment is currently underway for the 4-laning/Saint-Bruno by-pass of R-170 either through the village, south of it towards actual R-170 routing or north of it towards Alma by-pass (boulevard Maurice-Paradis). 75% of R-170's AADT is traffic travelling between Alma and Saguenay. Coroner reports as well as planning in the last 4 decades recommend the northern option, but some local politicians are unhappy to have their village bypassed.
• Mont-Tremblant N.P. route 3 will become a paved, year-round road. This will facilitate touristic traffic between Saint-Michel-des-Saints (R-131 northern terminus) and Saint-Donat (R-125 northern terminus) via Mont-Tremblant national park, offering a scenic ring road for non-commercial vehicles in Matawinie. AFAIK, there have been talks over this for some time (I saw reports dating from the mid-80's advocating for a year-round highway between the two communities.
• Works were launched on two new portions of A-85 in the municipalities of Saint-Hubert and Saint-Honoré-de-Témiscouata. Of the 40 kilometres freeway gap, 32 will be under construction this year, and the first sections of phase 3 should open to traffic at the end of 2021. The gap is still expected to be closed in 2025.

[Stephane Dumas]

I saw on Streetview, that old Quebec toll autoroute sign who was still there on June 2019, I wonder if it had been replaced? https://goo.gl/maps/biHW1HuBjYRBw88r8

[AsphaltPlanet]

A few photos of Autoroute 50 in eastern Gatineau featuring the new section of cable median barrier.  Cable median barrier has been added to A-50 in order to reduce the likelihood of cross-over collisions on this busy two-lane freeway.  There is some question about the effectiveness of the cable median barrier because there is little room in the painted median for vehicle deflection, but it's an interesting idea nevertheless.


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/PQ/A/50/A50_dv_169_east_Sep21_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/PQ/A/50/A50_dv_170-9_east_Sep20_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/PQ/A/50/A50_cl_171_west_EB_Sep21_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/PQ/A/50/A50_cl_171_east_EB_Sep21_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/PQ/A/50/A50_cl_171_east_C_Sep21_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/PQ/A/50/A50_dv_172_east_Sep20_24x16.jpg

[Alps]

(or widen A-50 to 4 lanes)

[compdude787]

That's actually like Sweden's 2+1 roads, except that there's no passing lane. Here's an example.

[Rothman]

Cable barrier can be quite effective...if installed and maintained effectively, which can be costly (i.e., with every hit, you have to re-tension the cables, replace supports, etc.).  Still, worked with an engineer that swore they were the best implementation for keeping semis where they needed to be.