Current Status
Although some of the new Autoroute 85 sections have been built at a steady pace since 2006, progress has going almost at a snail's pace, but there are plans by the MTQ for phase 2 of the 85 to be completed by Dec. 2015. Some of these new alignments of the four-lane divided highway are currently in the works, however some of them are proving to be quite a challenge.
Currently, Autoroute 85 begins in Saint-Antonin (87 km) and ends 13 km further north at Autoroute 20 near Notre-Dame-du-Portage (100 km). Two small sections of Route 185 have already been converted into autoroute standards near the areas of Dégelis and Notre-Dame-du-Lac. A stretch of 12.2 km between Cabano-Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! northbound lanes has been open since August 23, 2011, including a 6.4 km section which also has been open to traffic since the fall of 2009. The southbound lanes have been open since August 26, 2011. This puts an end to the phase which was to redevelop sections of Dégelis, Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha! and Saint Antonin. The section between the New Brunswick border and Cabano (Phase 2) is currently under construction. In 2011, the section between Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! and Saint Antonin (Phase 3) obtained the government order to commence construction.
Once the upgrade of Route 185 is complete, the length will be reduced by more than half of its former length (about 50 km or so). Transport Quebec could also decommission Route 185 in its entirety and rename the former parts to another route number. However, indeed that Autoroute 85 will sport a complete length from start to finish of about 100 km, and it will connect Route 2 in New Brunswick to Autoroute 20 near Rivière-du-Loup. At the same time, the Trans-Canada Highway will officially become a continuous divided controlled access highway between Arnprior, Ontario (Highway 417) to Antigonish, Nova Scotia (Route 104). In addition, if Ontario's Highway 401 is taken to Windsor instead of Highway 417 this will also complete an even longer inter-provincial freeway spanning four provinces, increasing the total divided highway length by more than 2000 km.
Like most other Quebec autoroutes that have been officially designated from a famous deceased member of Quebec, the Quebec government and Transport Quebec have dedicated Autoroute 85 in honor of Claude Béchard, a deceased Quebec politician from Kamouraska-Témiscouata.
Read more about this topic: Quebec Autoroute 85
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