History
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. Many overpasses are built to accommodate a fully divided, four-lane highway in the future such that only one portion of the overpass is currently used. 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.
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.
Read more about this topic: Quebec Autoroute 50
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