Quebec Autoroute 55

Autoroute 55 (also called Autoroute de l'Énergie north of the Autoroute 20 and Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier south of it) is an important north–south Autoroute and the only one running in that direction in central Quebec. It is the longest north-south Autoroute, beginning as the continuation of I-91 at the Canada–United States border near Stanstead and continuing to Shawinigan, where it downgrades to Route 155. The total length of A-55 is currently 247 km (153.5 mi) long, including concurrencies with Autoroute 10, Autoroute 20 and Autoroute 40.

Autoroute 55 marker

Autoroute 55

Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier
Autoroute de l'Énergie
Route information
Maintained by Transports Québec
Length247 km[1][2] (153 mi)
Existed1964[2]–present
Major junctions
South end I-91 at the Canada–United States border in Stanstead, Quebec
Major intersections A-10 in Magog
A-410 in Sherbrooke
A-10 / A-610 in Sherbrooke
A-20 (TCH) in Drummondville
A-20 (TCH) / A-955 in Sainte-Eulalie
A-30 / R-132 in Bécancour
R-138 in Trois-Rivières
A-40 in Trois-Rivières
North end R-155 in Shawinigan, Quebec
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
Major citiesMagog, Sherbrooke, Drummondville, Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan
Highway system
← A-50→ A-70

Route description

Autoroute 55 connects the mid-sized communities of Magog, Sherbrooke, Drummondville, Trois-Rivières, and Shawinigan and the smaller communities in between. The most notable feature on A-55 is the Laviolette Bridge between Trois-Rivières and Bécancour, which is one of the longest bridges in Quebec and in Canada.

A-55 had a short "gap" between Bécancour and Drummondville until October 2006. The gap resulted from Transports Quebec's original intention of bringing A-55 southeast towards Victoriaville along what is now Autoroute 955 before shifting southwest to rejoin existing A-55 near Richmond. However, plans changed in the 1970s, and the present routing was chosen. The southern section was originally supposed to be Autoroute 51 and was intended to continue to the planned extension of Autoroute 30 in Pierreville. A-55 was signed along Route 155 (which is not an Autoroute-standard highway) until the new route was completed.

All of the southern portion of A-55 became a full four-lane freeway by the end of October 2006. The gap being filled in the northern portion will initially be a two-lane freeway for about 20 km (12.4 mi), but it is intended to ultimately be four lanes.

The designation Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier is in honour of Quebec businessman Joseph-Armand Bombardier, who lived in Valcourt, near where A-55 passes and who invented the snowmobile there. His company, Bombardier Inc., started by building snowmobiles and eventually grew into a major international manufacturer of transit vehicles and aircraft.

The designation Autoroute de l'Énergie means "Energy Highway" since it provides access to the Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station in Bécancour and the hydroelectric facilities in Shawinigan and the Haut-Saint-Maurice area, but the section north of A-30 is likely to remain at its comparatively short length to Shawinigan for the foreseeable future.

Exit list
RegionRCM or ETLocationkmmiOld exitNew exitDestinationsNotes
EstrieMemphrémagogStanstead0.000.00
 I-91 south – St. Johnsbury		Continues in Vermont
Canada–United States border
Derby Line–Rock Island Border Crossing
South end of Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier
0.270.17 Boulevard Notre-Dame (R-247 west)At-grade intersection; traffic signals
2.171.352 R-143 – Stanstead
Stanstead-EstChemin CurtisAt-grade intersection
5.713.55 Curtis Rest Stop (Northbound)
Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley20.6712.8421 R-141 – Ayer's Cliff, Coaticook
28.5217.7229 R-108 – Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, North Hatley, Sherbrooke
Magog31.9919.8832Rue-Saint-Patrice, Boulevard Industriel
33.1420.5933 R-112 – Magog (Centre-Ville)
33.9221.0871[lower-roman 1]34
121[lower-roman 1]		 A-10 west – MontréalA-55 branches east; south (west) end of A-10 concurrency; northbound signed as exits 34-E (east) and 34-O (west); southbound signed as 121
Memphrémagog / Magog – Sherbrooke boundary35.8022.2572[lower-roman 1]
36		123[lower-roman 1] Rue Sherbrook (R-112) to R-249 – Magog (Centre-Ville), Saint-Denis-de-Brompton
City of Sherbrooke39.9524.8241128[lower-roman 1] Boulevard Bourque (R-112)
45.9728.5646133[lower-roman 1]Chemin Saint-Roch Nord
50.5531.4150137[lower-roman 1] R-220 (Boulevard Industriel), Chemin de Saint-Élie
54.0033.5554140[lower-roman 1] A-410 east (Autoroute Jacques-O'Bready) to R-108 (Rue King)
54.9934.1755141[lower-roman 1]Boulevard de Monseigneur-Fortier
56.5035.11143[lower-roman 1] A-610 east (Autoroute Louis-Bilodeau) to R-112 – Centre-Ville Sherbrooke, East Angus, Lac-MéganticA-55 turns north; north (east) end of A-10 concurrency
58.2636.2058 Chemin des Écossais (R-222) – Saint-Denis-de-Brompton, Valcourt
59.8137.1660Rue Laval
Le Val-Saint-FrançoisWindsor71.0244.1371 R-249 – Windsor, Saint-François-Xavier-de-BromptonSigned as exits 71N (north) and 71S (south) northbound
Melbourne84.9452.7885 R-243 – Racine, Valcourt, Melbourne Melbourne Service Centre
88.6855.1088 R-116 – Acton Vale, Richmond, Val-des-Sources
Ulverton97.6360.6698Chemin MooneyNorthbound only
Centre-du-QuébecDrummondL'Avenir103.8464.52103Lefebvre, L'Avenir, Ulverton, Durham-Sud
Drummondville111.2069.10111Route Caya
116.4872.38116 R-139 – Wickham, Acton Vale, Granby, Drummondville
121.9675.78122Boulevard Jean-de-Brébeuf - Drummondville
125.0677.71125 R-122 – Saint-Germain-de-Grantham, Drummondville
127.5779.27128
173[lower-roman 2]		 A-20 (TCH) west – MontréalA-55 branches east; south (west) end of A-20 concurrency
North end of Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier
175[lower-roman 2] Boulevard Lemire (R-143 north) – Saint-Bonaventure, Saint-François-du-LacSouth (west) end of Route 143 concurrency
177[lower-roman 2] R-143 south – Saint-Majorique-de-Grantham, DrummondvilleNorth (east) end of Route 143 concurrency
179[lower-roman 2]Chemin du Golf
181[lower-roman 2]Drummondville
Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover185[lower-roman 2] R-255 – Baie-du-Febvre, Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover, Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey
Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil191[lower-roman 2]Sainte-Brigitte-des-Saults
196[lower-roman 2] R-259 – Nicolet, Sainte-Perpétue, Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil
Drummond – Nicolet-Yamaska boundaryNotre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil – Saint-Léonard-d'Aston boundary200[lower-roman 2]Saint-Léonard-d'Aston
Nicolet-YamaskaSaint-Léonard-d'Aston202[lower-roman 2]Rang du Moulin-Rouge
Sainte-Eulalie204[lower-roman 2]Rang des Cédres, Rang des Plaines
145.7490.56210[lower-roman 2]
145		 A-955 south – Victoriaville, Saint-Albert, Warwick, Bécancour
A-20 (TCH) east to R-161 – Quebec, Sainte-Eulalie, Saint-Valère		A-55 branches north; north (east) end of A-20 concurrency; A-955 exit 15
South end of Autoroute de l'Énergie
Saint-Wenceslas153.8695.601539e Rang - Saint-Léonard-d'Aston, Saint-Wenceslas
Saint-Célestin164.88102.45 R-226 – Saint-CélestinAt-grade intersection; traffic signals; to be replaced with an interchange as part of the A-55 widening project
BécancourBécancour168.01104.40Rang PrinceAt-grade intersection; to be removed as part of the A-55 widening project
169.84105.53Chemin Forest - BécancourAt-grade intersection; to be replaced with an interchange as part of the A-55 widening project
171.51106.57Chemin ThibodeauAt-grade intersection; to be removed as part of the A-55 widening project
173.87108.04173Bécancour, Nicolet, Wôlinak
176.35109.58176 A-30 to R-132 – BécancourExit 209 on A-30
Saint Lawrence RiverLaviolette Bridge
MauricieCity of Trois-Rivières181.24112.62181 Rue Notre-Dame, Boulevard Gene-H.-Kruger (R-138)
182.51113.41182 A-40 east – Trois-Rivières Centre-Ville, QuebecSouth end of A-40 concurrency; exit 197 on A-40
183.38113.95183Boulevard Jean-XXIII
186.10115.64186 A-40 west / Boulevard des Forges – MontrealNorth end of A-40 concurrency; exit 196 on A-40
190.59118.43191Boulevard Industriel, Boulevard Saint-Michel
195.99121.78196Boulevard des Forges - Yamachiche
MaskinongéSaint-Étienne-des-Grès201.85125.42202Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, Saint-Barnabé
204.36126.98 Grès Rest Stop (Northbound, seasonal)
205.95127.97206Saint-Boniface
Saint-Boniface211.06131.15211 R-153 – Saint-Boniface, Shawinigan
City of Shawinigan216.00134.22216Rue Burrill
216.98134.83217 Rue Garnier (R-351) – Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc
219.49136.38220Boulevard Hubert-Biermans, Boulevard Vallée-du-Parc
222.79138.442235e avenue, 25e rue
225.83140.322268e rue, 4e rue - Shawinigan
To R-153 / 90e Avenue – Saint-Tite
R-155 north – Grandes-Piles, La Tuque		Roundabout; A-55 northern terminus, continues north as R-155
North end of Autoroute de l'Énergie
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  1. A-10 exit number
  2. A-20 exit number
  • Autoroute 55 southbound
    Autoroute 55 southbound
  • Southbound view, showing super-2 undivided highway
    Southbound view, showing super-2 undivided highway
  • Multiplex of Autoroutes 20 and 55
    Multiplex of Autoroutes 20 and 55
  • Southbound from Trois-Rivières at exit 181, approaching the Laviolette Bridge
    Southbound from Trois-Rivières at exit 181, approaching the Laviolette Bridge

References
  1. Ministère des transports, "Distances routières", page (?), Les Publications du Québec, 2005
  2. "Répertoire des autoroutes du Québec" (in French). Transports Québec. Archived from the original on 2010-01-11. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
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