Quebec Autoroute 20


Autoroute 20 is a Quebec Autoroute, following the Saint Lawrence River through one of the more densely populated parts of Canada, with its central section forming the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway from the A-25 interchange to the A-85 interchange. At, it is the longest Autoroute in Quebec. It is one of two main links between Montreal and Quebec City; the other is the A-40.
There are two sections of the A-20, separated by a gap. The mainline extends for from the Ontario border to its current terminus at Trois-Pistoles. The second, more northerly section is far shorter. Constructed as a super two autoroute, this section of the A-20 bypasses Rimouski to the south and ends at a roundabout junction with Highway 132 in Mont-Joli. While the Quebec government has completed environmental and economic reviews of the impact of linking the two sections of Autoroute 20, it has not committed the funds necessary for construction. Citing the high number of accidents on the Rimouski-Mont-Joli link of the A-20, many politicians in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region have criticized the government's lack of progress in linking the two sections of autoroute and twinning the two-lane portion.

Description

Autoroute du Souvenir

Montérégie

The A-20 begins at the Ontario-Quebec border near Rivière-Beaudette as the continuation of Ontario Highway 401. The westernmost section of the A-20 was named the Autoroute du Souvenir in 2007 to honour Canadian veterans. Road marker signs on this stretch of the autoroute feature a poppy.
At km 29, the A-20 crosses A-30 before becoming an urban boulevard for approximately eight kilometers in Vaudreuil-Dorion and L'Île-Perrot. This stretch of highway takes the A-20 across the Ottawa River. The speed limit is 50 km/h in Vaudreuil-Dorion and 70 km/h in L'Île-Perrot. The A-20 once again becomes a limited-access highway at km 38, just before crossing the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal onto the Island of Montreal.

Montreal Region

The A-20 then traverses the West Island along the north shore of Lac Saint-Louis to an interchange with the A-520. Commonly called the Dorval Interchange, this exit is the main access to Montreal's Trudeau International Airport. Further east, the A-20 crosses the A-13 at its southern terminus, and then, at the St. Pierre Interchange, Route 138 west towards the Mercier Bridge.
Just west of downtown Montreal, the A-20, A-15, and A-720 meet at the Turcot Interchange. From this interchange, A-15 continues north to Laval while A-20 east is multiplexed with A-15 south on the approach to the Samuel-de-Champlain Bridge. Traffic bound for the city centre continues as the A-720.

South Shore

Multiplexed with the A-10 and A-15, all three autoroutes cross the Saint Lawrence River via the Samuel-de-Champlain Bridge to the South Shore. The multiplex splits south of the bridge. The A-20 parallels the south shore of the river through suburban Longueuil. The junction with the A-25 affords a direct connection to the Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge-Tunnel and Montreal's East End. The Trans-Canada Highway joins the A-20 at this junction.

Autoroute Jean-Lesage

The largest section of the A-20 is named after Jean Lesage, who served as Premier of Quebec from 1960 to 1966, during the Quiet Revolution. Autoroute Jean-Lesage currently exists as two discontinuous sections separated by about 55 kilometers:
Centre-du-Québec
From the junction with A-25, the A-20 travels east, away from the St. Lawrence River. At kilometer 98, the A-20 intersects the A-30 near Mont Saint-Bruno, crossing the Richelieu River just north of Mont-Saint-Hilaire. Bypassing Saint-Hyacinthe, the A-20 forms a multiplex with Route 116 for six kilometers between exits 141 and 147. This section of the A-20 in Centre-du-Québec is located the furthest from the St. Lawrence River. Between Drummondville and Sainte-Eulalie, the A-20 forms a multiplex with A-55 for 37 kilometers.
Quebec City Region
The A-20 continues across the St. Lawrence Lowlands and Quebec's agricultural heartland. The autoroute once again parallels the river as it approaches metropolitan Quebec City. From this point eastward, the A-20 is never more than five kilometers from the river. At km 312, the A-20 crosses the A-73, a north-south link between Saint-Georges and Quebec City via the Pierre Laporte Bridge. While the control city on the A-20 is listed as "Québec", the autoroute never enters the city proper. Before departing the region the A-20 bypasses suburban Lévis.
Chaudière-Appalaches and Bas-Saint-Laurent
This section of the A-20 offers the motorist splendid views over the St. Lawrence River and the mountains of the Côte-Nord, especially Mont-Sainte-Anne and Le Massif. As it continues eastward, the A-20 passes the regional centres of Montmagny and La Pocatière before approaching Rivière-du-Loup and the junction with A-85 at km 499. The Trans-Canada Highway departs the A-20 at this interchange and travels southeast on A-85 toward Edmundston, New Brunswick and the Maritime Provinces. The eastern end of the main section of the A-20 is located in Trois-Pistoles, approximately 40 kilometres east of Rivière-du-Loup.

Rimouski section

The second section of Autoroute Jean-Lesage connects Rimouski to Mont-Joli. It begins at a junction with Route 132 in the village of Le Bic, approximately 55 km from the current terminus of the A-20 main section. Like its larger counterpart, the Rimouski section of the A-20 parallels the St. Lawrence, providing a southern bypass of Rimouski before ending at the western approach to Mont-Joli.
This section of the A-20 is currently a single carriageway with occasional passing lanes. It was built to accommodate an eventual expansion to four lanes and most overpasses include the clearance needed to accommodate the additional lanes. The high accident rate along this section of the A-20 have prompted many politicians to call for the highway to be expanded to two lanes in each direction.
An electric fence has been installed on both sides of the highway between km 621 and 628 to prevent moose from crossing the road, while at km 624 an underpass has been constructed to allow wildlife to pass under the highway safely.

Future

is currently engaged in several projects designed to connect the two segments of the A-20 as well as replace outdated sections.

Greater Montréal

The MTQ plans to rebuild A-20 through Vaudreuil-Dorion and Île-Perrot as a limited-access highway. There is no timeline for this project presently.
In Montréal, the MTQ has a major work project underway that has shifted the autoroute north between Route 138 and the Turcot Interchange. This new roadway will be complete by the middle of 2020.

Bas-Saint-Laurent

Long-range plans by the MTQ call for the two sections of the A-20 to meet. A 9.8 km section of single carriageway was opened to traffic on December 3, 2011 between Cacouna and L'Isle-Verte. As part of this project, a few kilometers of the highway near Cacouna was moved 1.5 km to the south and the old roadbed was destroyed. The MTQ timeline for completing the highway to Trois-Pistoles was met; it opened to traffic in November 2015. Overpasses were constructed for the St-Paul, St-Éloi and Drapeau roads.
Regarding the section from Trois-Pistoles to Le Bic, the Quebec government has completed environmental and economic reviews of the impact of linking the two sections of Autoroute 20, but it has not committed the funds necessary for construction. Frustrated by the long delay in linking the two sections of the A-20, in 2013, the Mayor of Rimouski proposed paying for the construction by tolling the autoroute.
Citing predictions for an increase in ferry traffic to and from the Côte-Nord as a result of the Government of Quebec's Plan Nord, in 2011 the Mayor of Matane called for the further extension of the A-20 to his city.

Popular culture

Autoroute 20 serves as the backdrop to the popular 2002 Quebec film Québec-Montréal by Ricardo Trogi about seven twenty-something travellers driving between the two cities.
The Quebec French expression "à l'autre bout de la 20" refers to Montreal when the speaker is in Quebec City, and to Quebec City when one is in Montreal.

Other names

Older Anglophone Montrealers sometimes still refer to the section of the A-20 west of the city as Highway 2-20, but the Route 2 designation was dropped in the mid 1970s.

Exit list

Rest stops

The rest stops are located at the following points on Highway 20 and contain the following services:
LocationkmDirectionServicesNotes
Rivière-Beaudette2EastboundWashroom
Phone
Tourist Information
fuel
food
C-store		Full service facility:
Esso, St-Hubert, Tim Hortons, Couche-Tard
Sainte-Madeleine117EastboundWashroom
Phone
Sainte-Madeleine117WestboundWashroom
Phone		Named Halte des Hurons
Saint-Eugène156WestboundWashroom
Phone
Sainte-Anne-du-Sault223EastboundWashroom
Phone
Sainte-Anne-du-Sault225WestboundWashroom
Phone
Villeroy254EastboundWashroom
Phone
Villeroy254WestboundWashroom
Phone
Lévis309EastboundWashroom
Phone		Named Halte de Saint-Rédempteur
Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse344Eastboundunknown
Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse345Westboundunknown
Cap-Saint-Ignace393Westboundunknown
Saint-Philippe-de-Néri458EastboundWashroomNamed Halte de Kamouraska
Saint-Philippe-de-Néri458WestboundWashroomNamed Halte de Monadnocks
Notre-Dame-Du-Portage498EastboundWashroom
Phone

Gallery

A-20 Eastbound
A-20 Westbound