Quebec Autoroute 50

Autoroute 50
Autoroute de l'Outaouais
Route information
Maintained by Transports Québec
Length:	137 km (85 mi) Two segments: West: 54 km (33.6 mi) East: 83 km (51.6 mi)
Existed:	1975[1] – present
Major junctions
West end:	Gatineau
	A-5, Route 105, Route 148 in Gatineau (Hull) Route 344 in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge A-15 in Mirabel
East end:	Route 117 near Mirabel
Location
Major cities:	Gatineau, L'Ange-Gardien, Lachute, Mirabel
Highway system
Quebec provincial highways ← A-40 A-55 →

Autoroute 50 (Autoroute de l'Outaouais) is an Autoroute in western Quebec. Once completed, it will link the Outaouais region to the Greater Montreal area.

Currently, there are two distinct sections of A-50: one section running eastward from the central part of Gatineau to just north of Thurso, and the other section from Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours to Mirabel just beyond an interchange (Route 117) with A-15. It is expected that the gap will be filled by 2012, as a planned two-lane freeway is under construction. Once completed, A-50 will be 159 km (98.8 mi) long and will provide a faster and safer alternative to Route 148.

It was originally envisioned that A-50 would be a long freeway running all the way from L'Isle-aux-Allumettes at the Ontario border all the way to Joliette along the Route 148 and 158 corridors; however, the long extensions are unlikely to ever be constructed, especially in the western part. (The exit numbers are based on that original plan.) Construction was completed in the fall of 2007 on the road that connects Highway 148 west of the Aylmer and Hull sectors to the A-50 at the Boulevard des Allumettières interchange. There are no other plans to connect the two highways as a continuous autoroute.

One short section of Route 158 around Joliette was originally signed as A-50 as well until the project was abandoned. In addition, west of the current terminus, a four-lane at-grade expressway continues as Route 148 into the Aylmer section of Gatineau; it may become part of A-50 in the future.

A-50 is a four- to six-lane freeway through Gatineau up to Buckingham, the remainder is mostly a two-lane freeway. However, there have been demands for a four-lane highway for the new segment so it can be safer. The first two segments were built with only two lanes and a recent multi-fatality accident occurred on highway 148 near Buckingham, a section of highway that A-50 would bypass.^{[citation needed][2]}

There is some support to rename the highway to Autoroute Maurice-Richard after historic Montreal Canadiens hockey player Maurice Richard, but the Commission de toponymie du Québec has chosen to wait until the section between Buckingham and Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours is finished before making a decision.^[3]

Safety improvements

Following a series of fatal collisions in 2007, it was announced that centerline rumble strips would be installed in various no-passing zones along Autoroute 50. This will be the first installation of its kind in Quebec and serve as a pilot project.

Exit list

Note: exit numbers in parentheses are not signed, but are based on kilometre posts.

Municipality	No.	Intersecting roads	Notes
Gatineau	(133)	Rue Montcalm	At-grade intersection Western terminus of the western segment
	134	Boulevard des Allumettières (formerly Boulevard Saint-Laurent) (Route 148)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
	135	Autoroute 5 (Autoroute de la Gatineau) / Ottawa / Boulevard Maisonneuve (downtown Gatineau)
	138	Rue Saint-Louis (Route 307)
	139	Boulevard Maloney (Route 148)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
	140	Boulevard de la Gappe
	141	Boulevard de La Vérendrye	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
	145	Montée Paiement
	147	Boulevard Labrosse
	150	Boulevard Lorrain (Route 366)
	154	Boulevard de l'Aéroport
	159	Rue des Laurentides
	165	Rue Georges	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
	166	Avenue de Buckingham (Route 315 & Route 148)	Transition from 4 to 2 lanes or vice-versa
	171	Chemin Lépine
L'Ange-Gardien	174	Chemin Doherty (Route 309)
Lochaber - Thurso	187	Route 317	Eastern terminus of the western segment
Plaisance	197	Montée Papineau
Papineauville	203	Route 321
Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours	210	Route 323	Western terminus of the eastern segment
Fassett	216	Montée Fassett
Grenville-sur-la-Rouge	226	Chemin Avoca
	233	Chemin Kilmar
	239	Chemin Scotch (Route 344)
Brownsburg-Chatham	252	Montée Labranche
	254	Route du Canton (Route 148)	Transition from 2 to 4 lanes or vice-versa
Lachute	258	Avenue d'Argenteuil (Route 327)
	260	Chemin Bethany (Route 329)	Transition from 4 to 2 lanes or vice-versa
Mirabel	272	Boulevard Arthur-Sauvé
	279	Chemin St-Simon
	(281)	Rue Helen-Bristol	At-grade intersection
	(283)	Rue Louis-Bisson	At-grade intersection
	285	Mirabel International Airport	Transition from 2 to 4 lanes or vice-versa
	288	Boulevard Henri-Fabre
	292	Autoroute 15 (Autoroute des Laurentides)
	(293)	Boulevard Curé-Labelle (Route 117)	At-grade intersection Eastern terminus of the eastern segment

References

1. ^ "Répertoire des autoroutes du Québec" (in French). Transports Québec. http://www1.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/repertoire_autoroute/autoroute.asp. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
2. ^ "Gatineau man, 61, dies in 14-vehicle crash". CBC News. 2007-03-15. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/03/14/gatineau-crash.html. 
3. ^ Communiqué: L'Autoroute 50 - Commission de toponymie, retrieved September 3, 2007

Resources

• Google Maps: western section of Autoroute 50 from Gatineau to Thurso
• Google Maps: eastern section of Autoroute 50 from Grenville to Mirabel
• Transports Quebec Autoroute 50 Project Description and Timeline (in French)
• Transports Quebec Outaouais Projects Description and Timeline (in French)
• A-50 at Exitlists.com
• A-50 at Quebec Autoroutes
• Transports Quebec Map (French)

• Transports Quebec Map (French)

Coordinates: 45°37′31″N 74°20′44″W / 45.6254°N 74.3455°W / 45.6254; -74.3455