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