Quebec Autoroute 31

Autoroute 31 (A-31) is an Autoroute in the region of Lanaudière in Quebec. Constructed in 1966, the A-31 primarily links Joliette with the A-40 and in turn to Montreal, Trois-Rivières, and other points served by Quebec's autoroute system. The A-31 is only 14 km (8.7 mi) long, making it one of the shortest autoroutes in the province. It is multiplexed with Route 131 for its entire length.

Autoroute 31
Autoroute Antonio-Barrette
Route information
Maintained by Transports Québec
Length14.0 km[1][2] (8.7 mi)
Existed1966[2]–present
Major junctions
South end A-40 / Route 131 in Lavaltrie
North end Route 131 / Route 158 in Joliette
Location
Major citiesLavaltrie, Joliette
Highway system
← A-30A-35 →

The A-31 also carries the name Autoroute Antonio-Barrette, named for a politician from Joliette who briefly served as Premier of Quebec in 1960.

Route description

The A-31 begins just south of its interchange with A-40 in Lavaltrie. Motorists exiting the A-40 can opt to travel north on A-31 (multiplexed with Route 131) or south on Route 131 to Lavaltrie's city centre. The A-31/A-40 interchange has an unusual configuration, built to accommodate tollbooths (since dismantled). Also unusual for a Quebec autoroute: agricultural vehicles like tractors are permitted to cross over the A-40 by travelling on A-31 from its southern terminus to exit 2. For this reason, an automated traffic regulation system (commissioned in 2009) lowers the speed limit automatically from 100/60 km/h to 90/30 km/h as needed.

Exits at km 2 and km 7 provide access to local roads, while a partial interchange at km 12 serves an industrial zone south of Joliette.

The A-31 ends at km 15 at a cloverleaf interchange with Route 158. Plans for Quebec's autoroute system initially called for A-31 to meet the A-50 at this interchange. Anticipating this outcome, Route 158 in the immediate vicinity of the interchange was constructed as a limited-access highway and signed as A-50. Once plans to extend the A-50 east of the A-15 were abandoned in the 1980s, this stretch of highway was redesignated Route 158. A series of deadly accidents on Route 158 prompted a 2014 petition drive to reconstruct the highway to Autoroute standards and return the designation of A-50.[3]

Motorists exiting the A-31 at km 15 may continue on Route 158 west to St-Esprit, Route 158 east to Berthierville, or Route 131 north to Saint-Félix-de-Valois. Past this interchange, A-31 ends and becomes Boulevard Dollard, which continues into downtown Joliette.

Exit list
RCMLocationkmmiExitDestinationsNotes
D'AutrayLavaltrie0.000.00– Route 131 south – LavaltrieSouterh terminus of concurrency with Route 131
0.000.001 A-40 / Rang Saint-François – Québec, MontréalPartial at-grade intersection; exit 22 on A-40
1.000.622Rang Saint-Henri / Rang du Point-du-Jour
JolietteSaint-Thomas7.004.357Saint-Thomas, Saint-Paul
12Rue Ernest-Harnois / Rue Nazaire-LaurinNorthbound exit and entrance
Joliette13.008.0814 Route 158 north / Route 131 – Notre-Dame-des-Prairies, Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Berthierville, Saint-JérômeNorthern terminus of concurrency with Route 131;
signed as exits 14E (east) and 14O (west)
14.008.70–Boulevard Dollard / Rue Calixa-Lavalleé / Rue Joseph-Arthur – Joliette Centre-VilleContinuation beyond Route 158
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. "Répertoire des autoroutes du Québec" (in French). Transports Québec. Archived from the original on 2010-01-11. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  3. Ferland, Mathieu (24 July 2014). "Une pétition circule pour modifier la route 158". Le Journal de Joliette (in French). Retrieved 18 March 2016.

KML is from Wikidata
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