Autoroute 30 (A-30), or the Autoroute de l'Acier (In English, Steel Freeway) is an Autoroute in Quebec, Canada. Construction of the A-30 dates back to the early days of autoroute construction in the 1960s. Originally called Highway 3,[3] the A-30 was designed to replace Route 132 as the main artery linking the communities along the South Shore of the St. Lawrence River. The A-30 was originally intended to begin at the U.S. border near Dundee and end at Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets (in Centre-du-Québec).[4] In the late 1970s an eight-year moratorium on new autoroute construction in favour of public transport by the Parti Québécois prevented implementation of that plan.

Autoroute 30 marker
Autoroute 30
Autoroute de l'Acier
Map
Route information
Maintained by Transports Québec
Existed1968[1]–present
Main section
Length144.1 km[1][2] (89.5 mi)
West end A-40 (TCH) in Vaudreuil-Dorion
Major intersections A-20 in Vaudreuil-Dorion
A-530 in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
R-132 / R-138 in Châteauguay
A-730 in Saint-Constant
A-15 / A-930 in Candiac
A-10 in Brossard
R-116 / R-112 in Longueuil
A-20 (TCH) in Boucherville
East endBoulevard Poliquin in Sorel-Tracy
Bécancour section
Length20.5 km[1][2] (12.7 mi)
West end R-132 in Bécancour
Major intersections A-55 in Bécancour
East end R-132 in Bécancour
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
Major citiesLongueuil, Brossard, Châteauguay, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Boucherville
Highway system
A-25 A-31

The original section of Autoroute 30 in 1968 linked Sorel-Tracy to Route 116, which was then called Highway 9. The A-30 was extended to an interchange with Autoroute 10 in Brossard by 1985 and to Autoroute 15 in Candiac by 1996.

Growing road congestion in and around Montreal led to the announcement in 2006 of a federal-provincial partnership to complete A-30 as southwestern bypass ring road.[5] At that time, the section from Châteauguay to Vaudreuil-Dorion was to be tolled, however by 2009 it was decided to collect tolls only on the St. Lawrence bridge. A-30 was extended north of the St. Lawrence River (over a new crossing) to a realigned interchange with Autoroute 20 and Autoroute 540 in Vaudreuil-Dorion, afterward A-540 was annexed and renamed as an extension of A-30. As construction progressed, short sections of the original A-30 that are bypassed by the new route were converted to spur routes and assigned new route numbers; for instance the old alignment of A-30 south of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield was renamed Autoroute 530. Opened to traffic on December 15, 2012, the realigned Autoroute 30 permits motorists travelling the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor (eg Toronto to Quebec City) to bypass Montreal.[6][7][8]

Description

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There are two discontinuous sections of A-30:

Montérégie

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The main 143 km (89 mi) segment extends from Autoroute 40 in Vaudreuil-Dorion to Route 133 in Sorel-Tracy.

From the junction of Autoroute 20 in Vaudreuil-Dorion to Route 138 in Châteauguay a completely new freeway was constructed between 2007 and 2012, opening to traffic in December 2012. This new section, built under a Public-Private Partnership, along with the former A-540 west of Vaudreuil make up the first 38 km (24 mi) of the highway now. An approximately 21-kilometre (13 mi) long section bypasses the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake and the South Shore communities of Saint-Constant, Delson, and Candiac. The Kahnawake bypass was built following the 1990 Oka Crisis and extended to the other three communities between 2005 and 2011.[4] The A-30 was originally intended to supplant Route 132, crossing Kahnawake to a junction with the Honoré Mercier Bridge. Local opposition to the proposed route from the late 1960s coupled with the disruption of the Oka Crisis in 1990 prompted the decision to change the course of the new autoroute to bypass the Mohawk territory[9] This new alignment resulted in the 1990 construction, 1992 twinning, then the 2010 redesignation of a 3.2 km (2.0 mi) portion of highway as Autoroute 730. The A-730 now extends from the A-30 mainline in Saint-Constant to Route 132 in Sainte-Catherine. Another 3.2 km (2.0 mi) section from the existing A-30 to Route 132 in Candiac has been redesignated Autoroute 930 since construction of the Jean-Leman section ended in November 2011. Further west, an 8.3 km (5.2 mi) bypass of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield became Autoroute 530 in 2012 when construction of the A-30 extension was completed.

Northeast of Montreal the autoroute parallels Route 132, bypassing the steelmaking centres of Contrecoeur and Sorel-Tracy.

Centre-du-Québec

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An 18.3 km super two segment in Bécancour, from Route 132 immediately west to an interchange with Autoroute 55 (near Laviolette Bridge, south of Trois-Rivières). The A-30 parallels the St. Lawrence River, bypassing the communities of Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval and Des Ormeaux and linking the Port of Bécancour to the autoroute network. Multiplexed with Route 132, the A-30 continues as a two-lane road for a short distance further before ending at the western approach to Gentilly. The road continues on as Route 132.

Exit list

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RCMLocationkmmiOld exitNew exitDestinationsNotes
Vaudreuil-SoulangesVaudreuil-Dorion0.00.041     A-40 (TCH) to Highway 417 – Montréal, Ottawa/Gatineau, Mirabel AirportA-30 western terminus; A-40 exit 32
1.60.9932  R-340 (Boulevard de la Cité-des-Jeunes)
3.42.124  R-342 (Route Harwood)
4.93.015    A-20 to Highway 401 – Rivière-Beaudette, Toronto, Montréal, P.E. Trudeau AirportA-20 exit 29
Les Cèdres8.65.39  R-338 – Les Cèdres, Pointe-des-Cascades
8.6–
8.7
5.3–
5.4
Tunnel under Soulanges Canal
9.25.7Toll booth
St. Lawrence River9.6–
11.5
6.0–
7.1
Serge Marcil Bridge
Beauharnois-SalaberrySalaberry-de-Valleyfield13.08.113  A-530 west – Salaberry-de-ValleyfieldA-530 exit 12
Beauharnois16.510.317Chemin du Canal
Beauharnois Canal19.1–
20.4
11.9–
12.7
Madeleine Parent Bridge
Beauharnois-SalaberryBeauharnois22.013.722  R-236 (Chemin Saint-Louis) – Saint-Étienne-de-Beauharnois
25.816.026  R-205 (Chemin de la Beauce) – Sainte-Martine
RoussillonChâteauguay34.821.635Chemin de la Haute-Rivière / Boulevard René-Lévesque
37.223.18038   R-132 (Saint-Jean-Baptiste boulevard) / R-138 – Downtown Châteauguay, Huntingdon, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
40.625.28341Industriel boulevard / Sainte-Marguerite boulevard
Saint-Isidore43.927.38644   R-207 / R-221 – Kahnawake, Saint-Rémi, Saint-Isidore
Saint-Constant46.428.889[10]47[11]  A-730 north – Saint-Constant, Sainte-Catherine, Honoré-Mercier bridgeA-730 exit 1
Candiac54.233.755    A-15 / R-132 to I-87 – Montréal, New YorkEastbound exit and westbound entrance; A-15 exit 40
58.136.158    A-930 west to A-15 / R-132 / I-87 – Saint-Constant, Sainte-CatherineWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; A-15 exit 42
La Prairie62.338.710462  R-104 – La Prairie, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
RoussillonLongueuil boundaryLa PrairieBrossard boundary64.440.010765Boulevard Matte, Boulevard de Rome
LongueuilBrossard67.341.810967  A-10 / Boulevard de Rome – Montréal, SherbrookeA-10 exit 11
BrossardLongueuil boundary69.243.011069Grande-Allée
Longueuil73.245.511573  R-112 (Boulevard Cousineau, Chemin de Chambly)
Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville76.047.211876  R-116 / Boulevard des Promenades – Belœil, Jacques-Cartier bridgeR-116 exit 9
77.848.312078  Clairevue boulevard – Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville Centre-VilleAccess to Saint-Hubert Airport
79.849.612180Montée Montarville
Boucherville83.551.912583   A-20 (TCH) – Montréal, Quebec CityA-20 exit 98
RoussillonMarguerite-D'Youville boundaryBouchervilleSainte-Julie boundary87.054.112887Varennes, Sainte-Julie, Saint-Amable
Marguerite-D'YouvilleSainte-JulieVarennes boundary88.955.289  R-229 – VarennesEastbound exit and westbound entrance
Varennes94.758.813695Montée de Picardie
98.261.014198Montée de la Baronnie, Chemin de la Butte-aux-Renards
Verchères104.965.2147105Verchères
107.166.5149107Calixa-Lavallée
Contrecoeur112.469.8154113Montée Lapierre
116.972.6158117Montée de la Pomme-d'Or
118.873.8160119Rue Saint-Antoine
126.178.4168126Montée Saint-Roch
Pierre-De SaurelSorel-Tracy135.183.9178135Chemin du Golf
138.986.3181138Boulevard de Tracy / Boulevard des Érables
140.087.0182140Boulevard Saint-Louis
141.087.6184141  R-223 (Chemin Saint-Roch)
142.588.5143  R-133 (Chemin des Patriotes / Boulevard Gagné)At-grade intersection
143.489.1Rue De RamezayAt-grade intersection
143.989.4  To R-132 east / Boulevard Poliquin – NicoletA-30 eastern terminus (main section)
70 km (45 mi) gap in A-30
BécancourBécancour0.00.0208  R-132 – Saint-GrégoireA-30 western terminus (Bécancour section)
0.70.43209  A-55 – Drummondville, Trois-RivièresA-55 exit 176
5.23.2Avenue des Jasmins – Sainte-Angèle-de-LavalAt-grade intersection
8.05.0Rue des GlaïeulsAt-grade intersection
8.85.5Rue des Glaïeuls / Boulevard du Danube – Wôlinak, Précieux-SangAt-grade intersection
10.66.6  R-132 west – BécancourAt-grade intersection; west end of R-132 concurrency
14.18.8  R-261 south / Boulevard Arthur-Sicard – Sainte-GertrudeAt-grade intersection
16.510.3Boulevard Alphonse-Deshaies
  R-132 east – Québec
At-grade intersection; A-30 eastern terminus (Bécancour section); east end of R-132 concurrency; R-132 continues east
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Extension of Autoroute 30 (Montreal Bypass Project)

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Eastbound A-30 in Saint-Constant

The completion of Autoroute 30 as a southern bypass was intended to better integrate greater Montreal's network of autoroutes, significantly reduce transit time to and through the region, boost economic activity in Montérégie, and improve access to markets in Ontario (via Ontario highways 401 and 417) and the United States (via Interstates 87 and 89).[12] This new section was completed on December 15, 2012.[13][14][8] The westernmost section was financed through a public–private partnership, in which the government contracted with Acciona (a Spanish engineering and construction company) to design, construct, operate, maintain, and finance the autoroute.[15] The eastern section of the A-30 extension was publicly funded.[16][17]

Candiac–Châteauguay

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A-30 bridge across the Beauharnois Canal

Construction of this portion of the A-30—from an interchange with the A-15 (and the spur A-930) in Candiac to Châteauguay—began in 2005 and opened to traffic on November 19, 2010.[18] This section was linked to the A-30 mainline in November 2011. Motorists using A-30 can quickly access New York via the A-15 and Interstate 87.

Châteauguay – Vaudreuil-Dorion

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Signage for A-530

A new 35 km (21.7 mi) four-lane divided highway has been constructed, and opened to traffic on December 15, 2012. The A-30 crosses the St. Lawrence River to a redesigned interchange with A-20 and the former A-540. The new river crossing expedites the region's access to Toronto via A-20 and Ontario Highway 401.

A-540, a short spur road connecting A-20 with A-40, was re-designated A-30 once construction was complete. Thus, A-30's ultimate western terminus is at the junction with A-40, providing access to Ottawa and eastern Ontario via Ontario Highway 417.

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield

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The re-routing of A-30 across the St. Lawrence River resulted in the re-designation of a 7 km (4.3 mi) long section of the original route as A-530. This spur route links the re-aligned A-30 mainline with Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. A-530 features two interchanges, one at boulevard Pie XII and the other at Route 201.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Répertoire des autoroutes du Québec - Transports et Mobilité durable Québec". Ministère des Transports (in Canadian French). Gouvernement du Québec. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Ministère des transports, "Distances routières", page (?), Les Publications du Québec, 2005
  3. ^ "The completion of Autoroute 30". Transports-Quebec. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  4. ^ a b fr:Autoroute 30
  5. ^ Wikinews:Canadian PM and Quebec premier announce plans for highway development in Montreal
  6. ^ "Ouverture du dernier tronçon de l'autoroute 30" (in French). Radio-Canada. 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  7. ^ http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/telejournal_18h/2012-2013/Reportage.asp?idDoc=257866 On roule sur la nouvelle 30, Radio Canada (French)
  8. ^ a b http://a30express.com/categorie/8 Press Release (French)
  9. ^ "The Completion of Autoroute 30: Background". Transports-Quebec. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  10. ^ Since the completion of Autoroute 30, the kilometer 0 has been at the junction of Autoroute 40 and former Autoroute 540 in Vaudreuil-Dorion
  11. ^ The new section between Saint-Constant and Candiac have new kilometer posts from Vaudreuil-Dorion planned beginning
    Press release from Ministère des Transports du Québec explaining the new signage. (In French only) Archived May 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "AUTOUROUTE 30: UN AXE ROUTIER NÉVRALGIQUE POUR LA RÉGION DE LA MONTÉRÉGIE" (PDF). Gouvernement du Quebec. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  13. ^ "Final section of Highway 30 opens today". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  14. ^ Radio Canada
  15. ^ "Public-Private Partnership". Transports-Quebec. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  16. ^ National archives
  17. ^ CTV TopStories[dead link]
  18. ^ "Autoroute 30". Transports-Quebec. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  19. ^ "Western Section". Transports-Quebec. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
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