Existed: 1983 – present Constructed 1983 Major cities Saguenay | Length 24.2 km Province Québec | |
 | ||
West end: Route 170 in Saguenay (Jonquière) East end: Route 170 in Saguenay (Chicoutimi) | ||
Autoroute 70, or A-70, is a short Autoroute located in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of northern Quebec. It is the only Autoroute that does not connect to any other Autoroutes, although other Autoroutes have discontiguous segments such as A-20 and A-30. A-70 was first created in 1983, and has since been extended three times.
Contents
Map of Autoroute 70, Saint-Charles-de-Bourget, QC G0V 1G0, Canada
A-70 is 27 km (16.8 mi) long, however extensions are planned in both directions. A-70 is only partially completed; it acts primarily as a bypass route around the urban area of Saguenay. The route was slow to develop; until 2001 it was an extremely short stub, less than 6 km (3.7 mi) long.
It is expected that A-70 will be extended westward to at least Alma and eastward to La Baie. A new alignment has already been determined for the westernmost section of A-70, and the central section (part of Route 170) is already a four-lane divided highway; service roads would need to be constructed as it is not limited access. The proposed route for the eastern section has also been determined.
The ultimate length of A-70 will likely be around 64 km (39.8 mi) in length.
History
The A-70 was designed to provide a limited-access highway link between Alma and La Baie. The autoroute has been built in increments since the early 1980s. It took nearly ten years for the first eight kilometers to be built. During the 1990s, highway planners modified the plans. Rather than building A-70 to parallel Route 170 between 8e Rang in Saint-Bruno (km 5) and St-Benedict Road (km 25), instead Route 170 was rebuilt as a four-lane divided highway. This extension of A-70 was completed by 1999. Three years later, an additional 17 kilometres were opened, connecting this rebuilt section of Route 170 with the original portion of A-70.
Future
To date, 19 kilometres of highway remain to be constructed to complete the freeway link between Alma and La Baie.Transports Québec is conducting a feasibility study for the western section while continuing to acquire property to provide a right of way.
Exit list
The entire route is in Saguenay.