Extension of Highway 50 - Inauguration of the stretch from Thurso to Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours (Montebello)

GATINEAU, QC, Dec. 17, 2012 /CNW/ - 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 Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, and Mr. Stéphane Bergeron, Minister of Public Security and Minister responsible for the Outaouais region, today 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 centrepiece 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.

Today's 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 two-lane 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. 

SOURCE: Government of Canada

Sources:

Geneviève Sicard
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities and
Minister of the Economic Development
Agency of Canada for the Regions of
Quebec
Ottawa
613-991-0700

Yann Langlais-Plante
Senior Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport and
Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and
Land Occupancy
418-643-6980

Jacqueline Aubé
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Public Security and
Minister responsible for the Outaouais
region
418-643-2112

For information:

Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055

Karine Sauvé
Communications Advisor
Quebec Department of Transport
Outaouais branch
819-772-3107, ext. 260