Quebec cuts the ribbon on $147-million highway investment

After more than 40 years of political promises and three years of construction, Quebec Premier Jean Charest traveled to Grenville-sur-la-Rouge on Friday, August 19 to put the skeptics to rest and inaugurate the next section of Highway 50, linking Grenville to Pointe-au-Chêne.

"We have been discussing the Highway 50 since the early 1970s and there were skeptics who thought we would never set foot on this highway," said Charest.

This latest 18-kilometre stretch is part of a project that began in 2005, though the highway's name has almost become synonymous with the number of years in has been in the planning stages.

"Highway 50 represents nearly 50 years of our history," said MNA d'Argenteuil David Whissell. "How many families have lost family members to tragic accidents on our secondary highways? How many citizens have had to leave their homes to find work elsewhere? Highway 50 is more than just the realization of one generation and it represents much more than rock and stone."

When the final phase of construction is completed next fall, Highway 50 will link Mirabel to Gatineau at a cost of more than $800 million.

"This is a project that will change the lives of our youth," added Charest. "It will open our territory and make it accessible for development and also allow our young to stay and live here. The Outaouais is an important economic engine for Quebec, which will become accessible through Highway 50."

The Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ) chose to build the highway through the region's mountain ranges rather than build along the shores of the Ottawa River, as a means to meet the demands of the Quebec union des producteurs agricole, which was unwilling to sacrifice rich agricultural properties for the development of the highway.

"This section of the Highway 50 is part of a migratory passage for deer and other animals that spend three to four months in this warmer area, and we had to build the highway to accommodate them, as well as the demands of the UPA," explained MTQ engineer Florin Pauna.

In order to facilitate the passage of the deer, the MTQ built 15 structures under the highway, which will allow for the passage of water and animals. Five of the passages are dry and were built specifically to encourage the migration of animals. They are large enough for a full-grown moose to wander through, measuring about 10 feet wide by 15 feet high.

A similar underpass was built near Avoca Road to allow a displaced farmer to travel underneath the highway to access a portion of his farm - one now separated by fast-moving traffic. A 68-metre long tunnel was also constructed near the Kilmar Road exit to replace a creek that was disrupted by construction. A series of solar-powered lights were incorporated into the tunnel to encourage fish and wildlife to continue to migrate through the tunnel.

"When we began construction we had three objectives to meet," said Pauna. "We had to use existing materials to build the highway; we had to maintain the environment, and work with the agricultural producers."

In order to achieve its goals, the MTQ blasted more than two million cubic metres of rock and established a crushing and paving station directly on the construction site, so that it could use the existing rock and sand to build the majority of the new highway.

The 74-metre-high and 378-metre-long bridge spanning the Rouge River is one of the largest in the country and it was built using an unusual technique - all of the supports are located on the shorelines to minimize the impact on fish and water species.

"The entire highway has been built in symbiosis with the environment and the animals who live here," said Pauna, noting the 36 kilometres of fencing along the highway are unique, as a new method of gates and barriers allow deer and other animals to easily exit the highway while making it difficult for them to accidentally wander onto it.

A second inauguration will be held sometime this November to inaugurate the next four kilometers of highway between Pointe-au-Chêne and Montebello, while the last 24 kilometres are expected to be completed on schedule, early next fall.

When asked why the government chose to build a two-lane versus a four-lane highway, Charest explained that the expected level of traffic simply did not justify the expense, but said the possibility of expansion has already been built into plans. An enlargement of the highway may be necessary as early as 2022, when population and traffic are expected to have grown.

According to MTQ statistics, about 4,000 vehicles travel on Highway 50 between Grenville and Lachute each day and more than double that number travel between Lachute and Mirabel.