Lanaudiere Autoroute (A-25)

This 2013 photo shows the northbound Lanaudiere Autoroute (A-25) at Exit 22 (QC 344 / Boulevard des Seigneurs) in Terrebonne. (Photo by Steve Anderson.)

Length:

Constructed:

32.8 kilometers (20.3 miles); measured from A-440 junction in Laval to Rue Montcalm in Saint-Esprit
1962-1975

FROM LAVAL TO LANUADIERE: Plans for Autoroute 25 on the North Shore date as far back as 1959. At the time, Leon Martel, the mayor of the North Shore city of Terrebonne and member of the Union Nationale, the dominant party in Quebec, mentioned unofficially to his aldermen that the new highway and bridge over Riviere des Milles-Iles would be built roughly along Reveille Street, in between QC 125 and a railroad right-of-way. The proposed alignment had the support of the Union Nationale, but not of the opposing Liberals, which favored a more westerly route via Ile Saint-Jean that would allow residential development on that island.

With the election of Jean Lesage and the Liberal government in 1960, the nascent plans for the highway had their first revision. The newly elected Liberals proposed a "new Route 18" connecting a rebuilt Pie-IX Bridge in Montreal with Terrebonne via Laval and Ile Saint-Jean. The "new Route 18," which included a rebuilt Pie-IX Bridge and a section of Pie-IX Boulevard that was converted into a freeway, soon took on the A-25 designation. It was one of many autoroutes planned under Premier Jean Lesage's Liberal government. The Laval-to Lanuadiere section of A-25 was to intersect with two northern bypass routes, A-440 and A-640, as well as an easterly extension of A-50. A-25 was planned to extend as far north as Rawdon, and possibly as far north as Saint-Donat, at the southern end of Mont-Tremblant National Park.

Construction of the new "Route 18" began in 1962. In 1965, a short 2.5-kilometer (1.6-mile)-long section of A-25 connecting Exit 20 (Boulevard des Mille-Iles) in Laval with Exit 23 (QC 337) in Terrebonne was opened to traffic. This section included two bridges across Rivieres des Mille-Iles (Lepage Bridge and Mathieu Bridge), between which was a short section with an interchange (Exit 21) in Ile Saint-Jean to serve residential development there. The new autoroute was re-designated A-25 in 1966.

Work continued on two major sections of A-25 in 1968. To the south, A-25 was extended nine kilometers (five miles) southwest from Boulevard des Mille-Iles to Boulevard Pie-IX; the southernmost five kilometers (three miles) of this construction was on the A-440 right-of-way (and was temporarily signed as A-25). To the north, an 11-kilometer (seven-mile)-long section was built from Exit 23 north to Exit 34 (QC 125) in Mascouche; most of this section north of Exit 25 (A-640) was built as an undivided "super 2," with right-of-way set aside for future construction of a second carriageway. Both sections were opened in 1971.

The northern "super 2" section was extended north by 15 kilometers (nine miles) to its present terminus at Rue Montcalm / Rang de la Riviere in Saint-Esprit, again with right-of-way set aside for future construction of a second carriageway. A trumpet interchange was built at Exit 46 (current QC 158) for the future extension of A-50 to the west; A-50 was to have been co-signed with A-25 through Saint-Esprit.

In the 1980s, the Ministere des Transports du Quebec (MTQ) added a second carriageway on A-25 north of A-640 through Terrebone and Mascouche. The addition of a second carriageway continued north to Saint-Esprit through the 1990s.

REALIGNING A-25: Between 2008 and 2011, the MTQ built a new interchange for the realignment of A-25 via the Olivier Charbonneau Bridge toward Montreal. Upon completion of the interchange, the former alignment of A-25--which had been "temporary" for four decades--became part of an extended A-440.

HOV ON THE SHOULDERS: From Exit 17 (A-440) in Laval north to Exit 21 in Ile Saint-Jean, the shoulders are converted into travel lanes for HOV use. The HOV lanes, which are in operation weekdays from 5:30am to 9:30am southbound, and from 2:00pm to 7:30pm northbound, are open to vehicles with two or more occupants, including taxis and buses, as well as motorcycles. During the hours of HOV shoulder lane operation, the speed limit on A-25 is reduced from 100 km/h to 70 km/h for all vehicles in the direction of the HOV lane usage (i.e., southbound in the morning, northbound in the afternoon and early evening).

THAT SINKING FEELING: For a four-month period in 2017, A-25 was closed in both directions between Exit 41 (Rang ang du Ruisseau-des-Anges Sud) and Exit 44 (QC 339) in Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan. The MTQ blamed heavy spring rains and warm temperatures for the washing out of two culverts, which ultimately led to the formation of a sinkhole seven meters (23 feet) deep and nine meters (30 feet) wide that closed both carriageways to collapse.

These 2013 photos show the northbound A-25 at two key interchanges.

TOP PHOTO: Northbound A-25 (Lanaudiere Autoroute) at Exit 17 (A-440 / Jean-Noël-Lavoie Autoroute in Laval).

BOTTOM PHOTO: Northbound A-25 (Lanaudiere Autoroute) at Exit 25 (A-640 / Autoroute des Mille-Îles) in Terrebonne.

(Photos by Steve Anderson.)

This 2011 photo shows A-25 (Lanaudiere Autoroute) looking north from Exit 41 (Rang ang du Ruisseau-des-Anges Sud) in Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan. The MTQ had planned to extend a full four-lane freeway north to Rawdon and in the 1970s, purchased the land to do so. (Photo by Scott Steeves, www.asphaltplanet.ca.)

TOWARD THE LOWER LAURENTIANS: As far back as the early 1960s, the Quebec government sought to extend A-25 north through the Lanaudiere region, as it foresaw increased traffic demand not only in Montreal's North Shore suburbs, but also in recreational areas, including what eventually became Mont-Tremblant National Park. The Ministere de la Voirie du Quebec (MVQ), the predecessor to the MTQ, submitted formal plans for a four-lane autoroute from Terrebonne north to Rawdon in 1970, and by 1975, the province had purchased rights-of-way all the way north to QC 125 (just north of QC 348) in Rawdon.

Interchanges for the 15.8-kilomter (9.8-mile)-long extension were planned at the following locations:

  • QC 125 in Saint-Esprit
  • QC 158 (A-50 eastern extension) in Saint-Esprit
  • Rang des Continuations in Saint-Esprit
  • QC 346 in Sainte-Julienne
  • QC 125 / QC 337 in Sainte-Julienne
  • 4e Rang in Sainte-Julienne
  • QC 125 / QC 348 in Rawdon (northern terminus)

Provincial planning maps do not specify how the northern terminus of A-25 would have tied into the four-lane divided section of QC 125 to the north in Chertsey, though this may have been addressed either by widening the existing section of QC 125 from Rawdon north to Chertsey, or extending A-25 north to Chertsey along a new right-of-way in a future project.

A couple of new obstacles faced the A-25 extension in the second half of the 1970s. First, the newly elected Parti Quebecois implemented an eight-year moratorium on new autoroute construction in the province, with work limited to autoroutes that already were under construction. Second, Quebec became the first province to implement environmental review studies in 1978, through what is now known as a BAPE (Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement) study. New infrastructure projects in the province now had to undergo rigorous environmental studies as part of the planning process. Even as the moratorium was lifted in the 1980s, the provincial government perceived the A-25 extension to Rawdon, as well as related projects like the A-50 extension from Mirabel east to Joliette, as low priorities (and in the case of the A-50 eastern extension, was dropped altogether).

PLANNING FOR THE 21st CENTURY: In 1999, the MTQ developed an updated transportation plan for the Lanaudiere region. After studies, the MTQ estimated that the Lanaudiere region would increase in population by 37% between 1996 and 2016, more than triple the 12% average increase for Quebec. Based on this study, the MTQ announced plans in 2000 to build a two-lane, single-carriageway "super-2" from Saint-Esprit north to Rawdon, and initiated environmental impact studies in July of that year. Since the entirety of the right-of-way had been purchased, the projected cost of C$22 million was limited to construction. The MTQ also projected that based on this study, it would add a second carriageway to this section by the early 2020s.

The MTQ submitted its environment impact study in 2004, and the following year, the Ministere du Developpement durable, de l'Environnement, Faune, et des Parcs (MDDEFP) began a six-year review process for the A-25 extension. According to the MDDEFP, it submitted three sets of questions to the MTQ, but was unable to get a full response from the MTQ on the third set of questions.

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: In 2019, the MTQ undertook new preliminary technical and environment studies to define a new preliminary project that sought to address the following objectives:

  • Improve the capacity and safety of QC 125;
  • Reduce travel times;
  • Accommodate transit on the section from Saint-Esprit to Sainte-Julienne;
  • Preserve the character of QC 125 through downtown Sainte-Julienne;
  • Reduce average speeds and noise levels on existing QC 125;
  • Restore acceptable road safety on Route 125 where there are a multitude of accesses and intersections, facilitating the movement of residents and farmers; and
  • Avoid the expropriation of houses and several plots of land (including part of an existing farm), which would have been caused by a widening of the current QC 125 to four lanes.

The MTQ reduced the scope of the project to 9.1 kilometers (5.6 miles), with the northern terminus of the project now at QC 125 / QC 337 in Sainte-Julienne. It developed four alternatives as follows:

  • ALTERNATIVE 1: addition of auxiliary passing lanes on existing QC 125
  • ALTERNATIVE 2: widening existing QC 125 from Saint-Esprit north to Sainte-Julienne
  • ALTERNATIVE 3: construction of a four-lane freeway on the A-25 right-of-way
  • ALTERNATIVE 4: construction of a four-lane, dual-carriageway surface arterial on the A-25 right-of-way

The MTQ immediately dismissed the first two alternatives as they failed to address the objectives of reducing travel times, improving capacity, minimizing area disruption, and preserving community character. Although the MTQ had long favored what became "Alternative 3," or a full freeway in the A-25 right-of-way, the MDDEFP opposed this, citing concerns over construction and maintenance costs, as well as possible concerns about soil and overpass construction.

DECIDING ON AN ARTERIAL, NOT AN AUTOROUTE: After this feedback, the MTQ formally announced in 2020 that it would pursue "Alternative 4," or the four-lane arterial alternative. The C$286 million extension, which would have a posted speed limit of 90 km/h, would feature traffic signals or roundabouts at QC 158 in Saint-Esprit, Rang des Continuations in Saint-Esprit, QC 346 in Sainte-Julienne, and QC 125 / QC 337 in Sainte-Julienne. A multi-use ped/bike path would be built along the length of the new route.

The province fast-tracked follow-up studies in 2021 and announced a call for construction tenders in 2022. The province currently plans to begin construction in late 2024, with completion scheduled for late 2027. However, in its July 2022 project notice, the MTQ revealed that the project would encroach on habitats of black maples, wild leek plants, and cardamine plants, three species considered vulnerable in Quebec, possibly threatening to delay the project once more. In the meantime, the MTQ is making improvements to existing QC 125, including adding pedestrian crossings and left-turn lanes.

This map shows the original plan for the A-25 extension to Rawdon. In its most recent incarnation, the proposal for the extension extends north only to QC 125 / QC 337 in Sainte-Julienne. (Map © by Ministere des Transports du Quebec.)

EXTEND A-25 AS A FREEWAY TO RAWDON: A-25 should be extended north as a four-lane freeway from its present terminus at Saint-Esprit north to Rawdon. The freeway is needed to serve a fast-growing region. According to Statistics Canada, the population of Sainte-Julienne increased 65% from 1991 to 2021, while the population of Rawdon jumped 71% in the same period; during the summer months, the populations of these municipalities can double and even triple. In the not-too-distant future, Sainte-Julienne and Rawdon conceivably could become commuter suburbs of Montreal, and the present road network is not capable of meeting these future demands.

In 2019, the MTQ and the MDDEFP came to an agreement on "Alternative 4." However, this alternate does not provide the optimal levels of service and safety on the corridor that "Alternative 3" would. The MTQ should heed the lessons it has learned during the construction of A-50 (Guy Lafleur Autoroute) and avoid the mistakes of piecemeal construction (i.e., building less than four-lane, controlled-access freeway) that have compromised safety. If budget constraints are a concern, the freeway should be built first to Sainte-Julienne, and then north to Rawdon as funds permit.

SOURCES: Autoroute 25: du Rang du Ruisseau-des-Anges a la Route 158: Etude d'Impact sur l'Environnement, Ministere des Transports du Quebec (1993); "Le MTQ Analyse le Sol pour le Prolongement de l'Autoroute 25," L'Express de Montcalm (4/15/2011); "Pas Une 'Cenne' pour le Prolongement de l'Autoroute 25," L'Express de Montcalm (3/08/2012); "Extension of Highway 25 in Sainte-Julienne: A New Milestone Reached," Portail Constructo.com (6/15/2022); "Endangered Species Stand in the Way of the Expansion" by Vincent Larin, La Presse (10/14/2022); "Avis de Projet: Construction d'une Route Nationale dans le Prolongement de l'Autoroute 25," Ministere des Transports du Quebec (2022); Scott Steeves.

  • A-25 shield by Wikipedia.
  • Lightpost photos by Steve Anderson.
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LANAUDIERE AUTOROUTE LINKS:

LANAUDIERE AUTOROUTE CURENT TRAFFIC CONDITIONS:

LANAUDIERE AUTOROUTE VIDEO LINK:

THE EXITS OF METRO MONTREAL:

  • Autoroute 25 exit list by Steve Anderson.

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