Quebec Autoroute 70

Autoroute 70
Autoroute du Saguenay (Saguenay Autoroute)
Route information
Maintained by Transports Québec
Length:	24.2 km[1][2] (15.0 mi)
Existed:	1983[2] – present
Major junctions
West end:	Route 170 in Saguenay (Jonquière)
	Route 372 in Saguenay (Jonquière) Route 175 in Saguenay (Chicoutimi)
East end:	Route 170 in Saguenay (Chicoutimi)
Location
Major cities:	Saguenay
Highway system
Quebec provincial highways ← A-55 A-73 →

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.

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.

km	mi	Destinations	Notes
26	16	Chemin St-Benoît / Boulevard du Royaume Route 170
33	21	Rue St-Hubert
36	22	Boulevard René-Lévesque Route 372	Access to Rue Panet
39	24	Rue Mathias / Boulevard Mellon
42	26	Rang St-Antoine / Boulevard du Royaume Route 170
45	28	Boulevard St-Paul
47	29	Boulevard Talbot Route 175, to Quebec city
		Boulevard du Royaume Route 170	at-grade intersection, future interchange
		Chemin de la Grande-Anse	Future interchange [3]
		Chemin St-Anicet Route 170	Future interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Unopened

References

1. Ministère des transports, "Distances routières", page (?), Les Publications du Québec, 2005
2. "Répertoire des autoroutes du Québec" (in French). Transports Québec. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
3. Future interchange

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• A-70 at Exitlists.com
• A-70 at Quebec Autoroutes
• Transports Quebec Map (French)