Quebec Autoroute 55
Autoroute 55 (also called Autoroute de l'Énergie north of the Autoroute 20 and Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier south of it) is an important north–south Autoroute and the only one running in that direction in central Quebec. It is the longest north-south Autoroute, beginning as the continuation of I-91 at the Canada–United States border near Stanstead and continuing to Shawinigan, where it downgrades to Route 155. The total length of A-55 is currently 247 km (153.5 mi) long, including concurrencies with Autoroute 10, Autoroute 20 and Autoroute 40.
Autoroute 55 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier Autoroute de l'Énergie | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Transports Québec | ||||
| Length | 246.5 km[1][2] (153.2 mi) | |||
| Existed | 1964[1]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  I-91 at the Canada–United States border in Stanstead, Quebec | |||
 A-10 in Magog A-410 in Sherbrooke A-10 / A-610 in Sherbrooke  A-20 (TCH) in Drummondville A-20 (TCH) / A-955 in Sainte-Eulalie  A-30 / R-132 in Bécancour R-138 in Trois-Rivières A-40 in Trois-Rivières | ||||
| North end |  R-155 in Shawinigan, Quebec | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | Quebec | |||
| Major cities | Magog, Sherbrooke, Drummondville, Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
Autoroute 55 connects the mid-sized communities of Magog, Sherbrooke, Drummondville, Trois-Rivières, and Shawinigan and the smaller communities in between. The most notable feature on A-55 is the Laviolette Bridge between Trois-Rivières and Bécancour, which is one of the longest bridges in Quebec and in Canada.
A-55 had a short "gap" between Bécancour and Drummondville until October 2006. The gap resulted from Transports Quebec's original intention of bringing A-55 southeast towards Victoriaville along what is now Autoroute 955 before shifting southwest to rejoin existing A-55 near Richmond. However, plans changed in the 1970s, and the present routing was chosen. The southern section was originally supposed to be Autoroute 51 and was intended to continue to the planned extension of Autoroute 30 in Pierreville. A-55 was signed along Route 155 (which is not an Autoroute-standard highway) until the new route was completed.
All of the southern portion of A-55 became a full four-lane freeway by the end of October 2006. The gap being filled in the northern portion will initially be a two-lane freeway for about 20 km (12.4 mi), but it is intended to ultimately be four lanes.
The designation Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier is in honour of Quebec businessman Joseph-Armand Bombardier, who lived in Valcourt, near where A-55 passes and who invented the snowmobile there. His company, Bombardier Inc., started by building snowmobiles and eventually grew into a major international manufacturer of transit vehicles and aircraft.
The designation Autoroute de l'Énergie means "Energy Highway" since it provides access to the Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station in Bécancour and the hydroelectric facilities in Shawinigan and the Haut-Saint-Maurice area, but the section north of A-30 is likely to remain at its comparatively short length to Shawinigan for the foreseeable future.
Exit list
| RCM | Location | km[2] | mi | Old exit | New exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphrémagog | Stanstead | 0.00 | 0.00 | — |  I-91 south – Derby Line, Newport | Continuation into Vermont; A-55 / Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier southern terminus | |
| Canada–United States border at Derby Line–Rock Island Border Crossing | |||||||
| 0.3 | 0.19 |  R-247 west (Boulevard Notre-Dame) | At-grade intersection, traffic signals | ||||
| 2.0 | 1.2 | 2 |  R-143 (Rue Dufferin) – Stanstead | ||||
| Stanstead-Est | 5.7 | 3.5 |  Curtis Rest Stop (Northbound) | ||||
| Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley | 20.7 | 12.9 | 21 |  R-141 – Ayer's Cliff, Coaticook | |||
| 28.7 | 17.8 | 29 |  R-108 – Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, North Hatley, Sherbrooke | ||||
| Magog | 31.8 | 19.8 | 32 | Rue-Saint-Patrice, Boulevard Industriel | |||
| 33.1 | 20.6 | 33 |  R-112 – Magog (Centre-Ville) | ||||
| 34.4 | 21.4 | 34 71 | 34 121 | A-10 west – Montréal | South end of A-10 concurrency; northbound signed as exits 34-E (east) and 34-O (west); southbound signed as exit 121; exit numbers follow A-10 | ||
| Memphrémagog–Sherbrooke boundary | Magog–Sherbrooke boundary | 36.7– 37.8 | 22.8– 23.5 | 72 36 | 123 |  R-112 (Rue Sherbrook) to R-249 – Magog (Centre-Ville), Saint-Denis-de-Brompton | R-112 follows A-10 / A-55 service roads |
| Sherbrooke | 41.0 | 25.5 | 41 | 128 | R-112 (Boulevard Bourque) | R-112 exits A-10 / A-55 service roads | |
| 46.9 | 29.1 | 46 | 133 | Chemin Saint-Roch Nord | |||
| 49.6 | 30.8 | Catherine-Day Truck Stop (Northbound) | |||||
| 50.9 | 31.6 | 50 | 137 |  R-220 (Boulevard Industriel), Chemin de Saint-Élie | |||
| 54.4 | 33.8 | 54 | 140 | A-410 east to R-108 (Rue King) – Cookshire-Eaton | |||
| 55.2 | 34.3 | 55 | 141 | Boulevard de Monseigneur-Fortier | |||
| 56.9 | 35.4 | 143 | A-10 ends / A-610 east (Autoroute Louis-Bilodeau) to R-112 – Sherbrooke Centre-Ville, East Angus, Lac-Mégantic | A-10 eastern terminus; north end of A-10 concurrency | |||
| 58.0 | 36.0 | 58 |  R-222 (Chemin des Écossais) – Saint-Denis-de-Brompton, Valcourt | A-55 exit numbers resume | |||
| 60.1 | 37.3 | 60 | Rue Laval | ||||
| Le Val-Saint-François | Windsor | 71.0 | 44.1 | 71 | R-249 – Windsor, Saint-François-Xavier-de-Brompton | Signed as exits 71N (north) and 71S (south) northbound | |
| Melbourne | 84.5 | 52.5 | 85 |  R-243 – Racine, Valcourt, Melbourne | Melbourne Service Centre | ||
| 88.7 | 55.1 | 88 |  R-116 – Acton Vale, Richmond, Val-des-Sources | ||||
| Ulverton | 97.7 | 60.7 | 98 | Chemin Mooney | Northbound exit and entrance | ||
| Drummond | L'Avenir | 104.1 | 64.7 | 103 | Lefebvre, L'Avenir, Ulverton, Durham-Sud | ||
| Drummondville | 111.3 | 69.2 | 111 | Route Caya | |||
| 116.4 | 72.3 | 116 |  R-139 – Wickham, Acton Vale, Granby, Drummondville | ||||
| 122.0 | 75.8 | 122 | Boulevard Jean-de-Brébeuf – Drummondville | ||||
| 125.4 | 77.9 | 125 |  R-122 – Saint-Germain-de-Grantham, Drummondville | ||||
| 128.0 | 79.5 | 128 173 | A-20 (TCH) west – Montréal | South end of A-20 concurrency; exit numbers follow A-20; north end of Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier | |||
| 125.4 | 77.9 | 175 | R-143 north (Boulevard Lemire) – Saint-Bonaventure, Saint-François-du-Lac | South end of R-143 concurrency | |||
| 131.3 | 81.6 | 177 | R-143 south – Saint-Majorique-de-Grantham, Drummondville | North end of R-143 concurrency | |||
| 133.6 | 83.0 | 179 | Chemin du Golf | ||||
| 135.1 | 83.9 | 181 | Drummondville | ||||
| Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover | 139.9 | 86.9 | 185 |  R-255 – Baie-du-Febvre, Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover, Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey | |||
| Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil | 145.9 | 90.7 | 191 | Sainte-Brigitte-des-Saults | |||
| 150.8 | 93.7 | 196 |  R-259 – Nicolet, Sainte-Perpétue, Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil | ||||
| Drummond – Nicolet-Yamaska boundary | Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil – Saint-Léonard-d'Aston boundary | 154.1 | 95.8 | 200 | Saint-Léonard-d'Aston | Former R-155 north | |
| Nicolet-Yamaska | Saint-Léonard-d'Aston | 156.1 | 97.0 | 202 | Rang du Moulin-Rouge | ||
| Sainte-Eulalie | 157.3 | 97.7 | 204 | Rang des Cédres, Rang des Plaines | |||
| 163.4 | 101.5 | 210 145 | A-955 south – Saint-Samuel, Saint-Albert, Victoriaville, Warwick A-20 (TCH) east to R-161 – Québec, Sainte-Eulalie, Saint-Valère | North end of A-20 concurrency; A-955 exit 15; A-55 exit numbers resume; south end of Autoroute de l'Énergie | |||
| Saint-Wenceslas | 171.8 | 106.8 | 153 | Saint-Léonard-d'Aston, Saint-Wenceslas | |||
| Saint-Célestin | 183.2 | 113.8 | — |  R-226 – Saint-Célestin | At-grade intersection, traffic signals; interchange proposed;[3] former R-155 south / R-161 south | ||
| Bécancour | Bécancour | 186.3 | 115.8 | — | Rang Prince | At-grade intersection; to be removed as part of the A-55 widening project | |
| 188.1 | 116.9 | — | Chemin Forest – Précieux-Sang | At-grade intersection; to be removed as part of the A-55 widening project | |||
| 189.8 | 117.9 | — | Chemin Thibodeau | At-grade intersection; to be removed as part of the A-55 widening project | |||
| 191.9 | 119.2 | 173 | Bécancour, Nicolet, Wôlinak | ||||
| 194.3– 195.4 | 120.7– 121.4 | 176 | A-30 / R-132 – Bécancour, Sainte-Angèle | A-30 exit 209 | |||
| St. Lawrence River | 196.2– 198.8 | 121.9– 123.5 | Pont Laviolette (Laviolette Bridge) | ||||
| Trois-Rivières | 198.8 | 123.5 | 181 | R-138 (Rue Notre-Dame, Boulevard Gene-H.-Kruger) | |||
| 200.6 | 124.6 | 182 | A-40 east – Trois-Rivières (Centre-Ville), Québec | South end of A-40 concurrency; A-40 exit 197 | |||
| 201.2 | 125.0 | 183 | Boulevard Jean-XXIII | ||||
| 204.1– 204.6 | 126.8– 127.1 | 186 | A-40 west / Boulevard des Forges – Montreal | North end of A-40 concurrency; A-40 exit 196 | |||
| 209.3 | 130.1 | 191 | Boulevard Industriel, Boulevard Saint-Michel | ||||
| 214.6 | 133.3 | 196 | Boulevard des Forges – Yamachiche | ||||
| Maskinongé | Saint-Étienne-des-Grès | 219.9 | 136.6 | 202 | Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, Saint-Barnabé | ||
| 222.9 | 138.5 | Grès Rest Stop (Northbound, seasonal) | |||||
| 224.4 | 139.4 | 206 | Saint-Boniface | ||||
| Saint-Boniface | 229.8 | 142.8 | 211 |  R-153 – Saint-Boniface, Shawinigan | |||
| Shawinigan | 234.4 | 145.6 | 216 | Rue Burrill | |||
| 235.8 | 146.5 | 217 |  R-351 (Rue Garnier) – Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc | ||||
| 238.1 | 147.9 | 220 | Boulevard Hubert-Biermans, Boulevard Vallée-du-Parc | ||||
| 241.4 | 150.0 | 223 | Avenue de Grande-Mère, 25e rue | ||||
| 244.5 | 151.9 | 226 | Chemin du Parc National, 8e rue | ||||
| 246.5 | 153.2 | Pont des Piles (Piles Bridge) crosses Saint-Maurice River | |||||
| — | R-155 north – Grandes-Piles, La Tuque | A-55 / Autoroute de l'Énergie northern terminus;[1] continues as R-155 | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Rest Areas
There are three rest areas found on A-55 and none are full service centre as most are near populated areas that can provide services for travellers.
| Location | Name | km | Direction | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St-Etienne-Des-Gres | Autoroute de l'Énergie Rest Area | Northbound | Parking for trucks and cars (maximum 4 hours stop time), tourist information booth and rest rooms. Located across from Saint-Boniface-de-Shawinigan Weight Station | |
| Ulverton | Halte du Moulin | Southbound | Parking area only (maximum 4 hours stop time) located near Moulin A Laine D'Ulverton. No services available - rest room and tourist information building demolished before 2015. Near stop for food and restrooms is McDonald's two exits down in Melbourne. | |
| Stanstead, Quebec | Halte Curtis | Northbound | Parking for cars, RVs and trucks only (maximum 4 hours stop time). Rest rooms are closed and portable toilets removed from site. Motorists have more options available (food, rest rooms and fuel) by travelleing either north (about 27 km) to Magog or back south (about 4 km) in Stanstead. |
Gallery
Autoroute 55 southbound
Southbound view, showing super-2 undivided highway
Multiplex of Autoroutes 20 and 55
Southbound from Trois-Rivières at exit 181, approaching the Laviolette Bridge
References
- "Répertoire des autoroutes du Québec - Transports et Mobilité durable Québec". Ministère des Transports (in Canadian French). Gouvernement du Québec. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- Google (June 19, 2023). "Quebec Autoroute 55" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- "Élargissement et réaménagement de l'autoroute 55 entre Bécancour et Sainte-Eulalie". Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (in Canadian French). Gouvernement du Québec. June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
External links
