Ontario Trucking News, Issue 114, January 2013

eMPlOyMenT
Inauguration of Extension of Highway 50
Gatineau, Québec
- The Honourable
Denis Lebel,
Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities
and Minister of
the Economic Development
Agency of Canada
for the Regions of Quebec,
Mr. Sylvain Gaudreault,
Quebec Minister of Transport
and Minister of Mu-
40 January 2013
nicipal Affairs, Regions
and Land Occupancy, and
Mr. Stéphane Bergeron,
Minister of Public Security
and Minister responsible
for the Outaouais region,
inaugurated the stretch of
Highway 50 situated between
the town of Thurso
and the municipality of
Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours
(Montebello) in the
Outaouais.
This stretch includes
four overpasses (montée
du Gore, montée Saint-
François, montée Saint-
Charles and Saint-Hyacinthe
Road), two bridges
(one over the Petite-Nation
River and one over
the de la Loutre brook) as
well as two interchanges
(montée Papineau and
Route 321).
“The Government of
Canada is proud to have
invested in the completion
of Highway 50,” said
Minister Lebel. “This new
highway will make it easier
for Outaouais residents
to drive to Montreal, and
will contribute to the economic
competitiveness of
the region.”
The cost of building this
24-kilometre stretch of
the highway was $270
million, of which $38
million came from the
Government of Canada
under the Canada Strategic
Infrastructure Fund
(CSIF) and $232 million
came from the Government
of Quebec.
“This project, which has
been in the news for more
than a decade, has now
become a reality with
the opening of the final
stretch. The road connecting
the Outaouais
region to the Greater
Montreal Area is now
complete. The extension
of Highway 50 was the
centerpiece of economic
development projects for
the Outaouais region. It
will be a key determinant
of industrial and tourism
development in the region
and it will improve safety
for road users,” said Minister
Gaudreault.
“It is undeniable that this
project is one of our best
transportation assets in
the region. That is why
I am pleased to say that
today is a great day for
the Outaouais and for the
Laurentides,” said Minister
Bergeron.
The ceremony also
marks the end of all the
work to extend Highway
50, which began in 2000.
The project, which cost a
total of $800 million, consisted
in building a twolane
carriageway 90 kilometres
long connecting
the Outaouais region
(Masson-Angers sector of
Gatineau) and the Laurentides
region (Lachute). By
extending the project, it
links the Outaouais region
to the Greater Montreal
Area. V