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
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. It is the longest north-south Autoroute, beginning as the continuation of
I-91
Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Connecti ...
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 long, including concurrencies with
Autoroute 10,
Autoroute 20 and
Autoroute 40.
Route description
Autoroute 55 connects the mid-sized communities of
Magog,
Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional cou ...
,
Drummondville,
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of ...
, and
Shawinigan and the smaller communities in between. The most notable feature on A-55 is the
Laviolette Bridge
The Laviolette Bridge ( French: ''pont Laviolette'') is an arch bridge connecting the city of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada to Bécancour on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River via Autoroute 55.
Overview
Laviolette Bridge is the only ...
between Trois-Rivières and
Bécancour, which is one of the longest bridges in Quebec and in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
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
Victoriaville is a town in central Quebec, Canada, on the Nicolet River. Victoriaville is the seat of Arthabaska Regional County Municipality and a part of the Centre-du-Québec (Bois-Francs) region. It is formed by the 1993 merger of Arthabaska, ...
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
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
by the end of October 2006. The gap being filled in the northern portion will initially be a two-lane freeway for about , but it is intended to ultimately be four lanes.
The designation ''Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier'' is in honour of Quebec businessman
Joseph-Armand Bombardier
Joseph-Armand Bombardier (; April 16, 1907 – February 18, 1964) was a Canadian inventor and businessman who was the founder of Bombardier. His most famous invention was the snowmobile.
Biography
Born in Valcourt, Quebec, Joseph-Armand Bombar ...
, who lived in
Valcourt, near where A-55 passes and who invented the
snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
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
Gallery
File:Quebec Autoroute 55 South.jpg, Autoroute 55 southbound
File:Quebec Autoroute 55 Southbound 2.jpg, Southbound view, showing super-2 undivided highway
File:Quebec Autoroutes 20-55 TransCan.jpg, Multiplex of Autoroutes 20 and 55
File:Quebec Autoroute 55 Exit 181.jpg, Southbound from Trois-Rivières at exit 181, approaching the Laviolette Bridge
References
External links
A-55 at Exitlists.com
Transports Quebec Map
{{Authority control
55
Interstate 91
Transport in Drummondville
Transport in Magog, Quebec
Transport in Shawinigan
Transport in Sherbrooke
Transport in Trois-Rivières