Workers are out in full force, building the long-awaited extension of the A35 South of Saint-Sébastien toward the U.S. border. The latest phase (three of four) is nine kilometres and is expected to cost almost $223 million.
Transports Quebec officials are hoping it will be completed by the end of 2023.
“In April, the season is back and they work hard until there is snow,” Gilles Payer, a spokesperson for Transport s Québec told Global News.
The final and fourth phase is four kilometres long and will reach the U.S. border at Vermont. Work hasn’t begun on this section and it’s unclear when the final portion of the highway will be completed.
“We don’t have any budget or schedule right now,” Payer said.
For now, travellers between Quebec and the New England states are required to take Route 133 between Saint-Sébastien and the U.S. border, most of it a three-lane drive with top speeds ranging between 50 and 90 Km/h.
The extended portion of the A35 will be four lanes carved through hectares of farmland with maximum speeds of 100 km/h. It is supposed to make the drive a lot safer and faster.
Both commercial trade and visitors between Canada and the U.S. are expected to benefit from the new autoroute.
“Our goal for this new highway to make every people happy,” Payer said.
Work on the A35 started in the 1960s with the intent of building it to the U.S. border and connecting with the I89 in Vermont. Work on the A35 has stopped and started over the decades for a variety of reasons, but officials are happy they are getting closer to completion.
Once the final leg is done, there will be a direct highway connection between Montreal and Boston.
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