Quebec Autoroute 85

Autoroute 85 shieldTrans-Canada Highway shield

Autoroute 85
Autoroute Claude-Béchard
Route information
Maintained by Transports Québec
Length 58.0 km[1][2] (36.0 mi)
Existed 2005[2] – present
Major junctions
South end Route 2 (TCH) near Moulin-Morneault, NB
  Route 232 in Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac
Rue Fraserville, Rivière-du-Loup
North end A-20 (TCH) in Notre-Dame-du-Portage
Location
Major cities Rivière-du-Loup, Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac
Highway system

Quebec provincial highways

← A-73Route 101 →

Autoroute 85 is a Quebec Autoroute and the route of the Trans-Canada Highway in the province's Bas-Saint-Laurent region, also known as the Autoroute Claude-Béchard. It is currently under construction with committed Federal and Provincial funding for its completion, with an estimated completion date of 2025.[3] Once this upgrade is completed, it will close one of the last gaps in the nearly continuous freeway section of the Trans-Canada between Arnprior, Ontario, and Sutherlands River, Nova Scotia, and for an even longer interprovincial freeway route between Windsor, Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Running between Rivière-du-Loup (at a junction with Autoroute 20) and a junction with New Brunswick Route 2 at the Quebec-New Brunswick border, the A-85 when complete will be the only controlled access highway link between the Maritime Provinces and the rest of the country. The A-85 is projected to be approximately 100 km (60 mi) long when construction is complete and is intended to replace Route 185, which has been called one of the deadliest highways in Canada.[4]

Currently there are two completed sections of the A-85. Constructed in 1970, the first section runs from Saint-Antonin (km 87) to a junction with the A-20 at Notre-Dame-du-Portage (km 100). Originally signed as Route 185 when built, it was designed as A-85 in 2005 following extensive rehabilitation. The second, newer section extends from the New Brunswick border (km 0) to Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! (km 48). Construction began in 2002 in the vicinity of Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac and continued to 2016.

Route description

Southern segment

The A-85 begins at the Quebec-New Brunswick border as the continuation of New Brunswick Route 2 and the Trans-Canada Highway. In 2010, the Quebec government announced that the A-85 would be named for Claude Béchard, a longtime Member of the National Assembly from Bas-Saint-Laurent.[5]

From the New Brunswick border, the A-85 briefly parallels the main runway of the Edmundston Airport, which straddles the interprovincial border. The A-85 travels in a northwesterly direction, following the course of the Madawaska River. The autoroute passes Dégelis to the west with exits at km 12, km 14, and km 15. Briefly skirting the south shore of Lake Témiscouata, the A-85 passes through Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, with exits at km 29, km 37, and km 40 (which provides access to Parc nationale Lac-Témiscouata). At Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! (km 48), the controlled-access highway ends and the route resumes its designation as Route 185.

Northern segment

The second section of the A-85 begins in Saint-Antonin with exits at km 89, km 90, and km 93 as it traverses the Saint Lawrence Lowlands. Exit 93 provides access to Route 191 which bypasses Rivière-du-Loup to the south and provides the most direct route for motorists bound for Rimouski, Mont-Joli, and Gaspésie via eastbound A-20. After one last exit (km 97), the A-85 merges with westbound A-20 at the Saint Lawrence River. Westbound A-20 assumes the Trans-Canada Highway designation, continuing on to Québec City and Montréal, then to Windsor via the A-20 and Ontario Highway 401, or Ottawa via the A-40 and Ontario Highway 417.

History

Autoroute 85 in Rivière-du-Loup looking North towards the Saint Lawrence River
Construction History[3]
km Year Notes
0-8 2014 New Brunswick (Route 2) to Kilometre 8
8-14 2013 Kilometre 8 to Dégelis
14-15 2004 Dégelis
15-22 2013 Dégelis to Témiscouata-sur-le-lac (Notre-Dame-du-Lac)
22-29 2015 South of Témiscouata-sur-le-lac (Notre-Dame-du-Lac)
29-30 2002 Témiscouata-sur-le-lac (Notre-Dame-du-Lac)
30-36 2014 Témiscouata-sur-le-lac (Notre-Dame-du-Lac to Cabano)
36-38 2009 Témiscouata-sur-le-lac (Cabano)
38-44 2011 Témiscouata-sur-le-lac (Cabano) to St-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
44-48 2009 St-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
48-86 2025 (scheduled) St-Antonin to St-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! (Construction commenced on September 7, 2018)[6]
86-94 2005 3e Rang in St-Antonin to Rivière-du-Loup (Route 185 converted to autoroute standards)
94-100 1972 From Rivière-du-Loup to Autoroute 20/Trans-Canada Highway West (Historic section of Route 185)

Exit list

Exit numbers are based on distance from the provincial border with Edmundston, NB. The entire route is located in Bas-Saint-Laurent. 

LocationkmmiExitDestinationsNotes
Dégelis0.000.00– Route 2 (TCH) eastContinuation into New Brunswick with TCH
1Avenue de la MadawaskaSouthbound access is from New Brunswick Route 2
7Traverse Johnny-Griffin
12Rue Industrielle / Avenue du Longeron
14 Route 295 (7e Rue) – Dégelis, Saint-Jean-de-la-Lande, Saint-Juste-du-LacNorthbound access is via exit 12
14Avenue Principale – PackingtonNorthbound exit and entrance
Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac24Chemin du Lac, PackingtonAccess via Route Saint Benoit
29Rue de l'Église / Rue Commerciale – Saint-Eusèbe, Notre-Dame-du-Lac
30Rue CommercialeNorthbound exit and entrance
33Montée du Détour
37 Route 232 west (Rue Cascades) – Rivière-Bleue, PohénégamookSouthern terminus of concurrency with Route 232
40 Route 232 east (Rue Commerciale) – Saint-Michel-du-Squatec, RimouskiNorthern terminus of concurrency with Route 232
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!47Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Saint-Elzéar-de-TémiscouataAccess via Rue Raymond
– Route 185 northRoad transitions to/from Route 185
Gap in route; connection made via 38 kilometres (24 mi) of Route 185
Saint-Antonin– Route 185 southRoad transitions to/from Route 185
89Rue Principale – Saint-Antonin
901er Rang – Saint-Modeste, Saint-AntoninSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
Rivière-du-Loup93 Route 191 (Boulevard Industriel) to A-20 east – Rivière-du-Loup, Rimouski
96Chemin Fraserville – Rivière-du-Loup
98Halte Routière de FraservilleNorthbound only
Notre-Dame-du-Portage100 A-20 (TCH) west (Autoroute Jean-Lesage) – QuébecExit 499 on A-20; TCH continues west
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ↑ Ministère des transports, "Distances routières", page (?), Les Publications du Québec, 2005
  2. 1 2 "Répertoire des autoroutes du Québec" (in French). Transports Québec. Archived from the original on 2010-01-11. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  3. 1 2 Autoroute Claude-Béchard (85) - Réaménagement de la route 185 en autoroute
  4. ↑ Lessard, Denis. "L'autoroute Claude-Béchard: comme si c'était fait". lapresse.ca. La Presse (Montreal). Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Lessard, Denis (2010). "L'autoroute Claude-Béchard: comme si c'était fait". La Presse. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Début des travaux de la troisième phase de réaménagement de la route 185" (in French). Retrieved 2018-10-03.

Route map:

KML is from Wikidata
Preceded by
Autoroute 20		 Trans-Canada Highway
Autoroute 85		 Succeeded by
Route 185
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