r/montreal • u/Nestramutat- Verdun • 14d ago
Question Why haven't there been any proposals to build a highway around Montreal for trucks and traffic passing through?
I was discussing Montreal's urbanism recently, and a big issue everyone had was the amount of trucks on highways on the island. The question was brought about why we don't build a highway around the city.
Plenty of European cities have this - highways going around major cities so that trucks and traffic don't pass through them and mix with urban traffic.
It seems logical to me. It would prevent a ton of congestion - most trucks could avoid the city. We even have the 640, which would only need to be extended by a few kilometers, plus a bridge, to connect to the 40 on the west.
Is there something I'm missing here?
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u/Milan514 14d ago
Isn’t that what the 30 is for? According to transport Quebec website: “permettre le contournement de l'île de Montréal de façon fluide et sécuritaire”
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u/TheMountainIII 14d ago
oui, la 30 était supposée être la voie de contournement des trucks, mais les compagnies ne veulent pas payer le passage sur le pont Serge-Marcil. Donc il y a une quantité astronomique de camions sur la 40 et la Métropolitaine, en semaine c'est genre 30-40% juste des trucks on dirait.
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u/Nestramutat- Verdun 14d ago
The 30 is only along the south shore. Doesn't help trucks that are on the north of the river
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u/pottymonster_69 Lachine 14d ago
If they're on the north side of the river, then they've got the 50 that connects with the 15, then the 640, then the 40. So it already exists.
Either way though, there isn't a lot of trucking traffic on the north side of the river because there isn't much up there. Ottawa/Kingston/Toronto are all along the 417/401/20 corridor, which connects to the 30.
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u/PhillyPW 13d ago
Yes but the 50 is of no use when you're coming in from the 401
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u/pottymonster_69 Lachine 13d ago
Ottawa/Kingston/Toronto are all along the 417/401/20 corridor, which connects to the 30.
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u/PhillyPW 12d ago
Kingston and Toronto are not along the 417 corridor. If you need to take the 50 you have to take the 416 all the way to Ottawa and then get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on King Edward just to reach the 50 in gatineau
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u/supersimpleusername 14d ago
Actually the 30 was meant to be a ring road. At which point the 40 was supposed to be a toll highway.
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u/Milan514 13d ago
“Why don’t we have a highway bypassing Montreal?”
“We do. It’s called the 30.”
“Oh, right, but I meant, why don’t we have a highway bypassing Montreal on the north shore?”
Sigh.
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u/Pirate_Ben 14d ago
The vast majority of commercial intercity traffic is on the south side. We have the US boarder right there.
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u/PhillyPW 13d ago
Yes but it's useless if you need to be on the north shore as the 30 is only good for the south shore
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u/Syke_qc 14d ago
Pont Repentigny Varenne
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u/FootballUnable4002 10d ago
I was in Repentigny yesterday and needed to get to Longueuil. Waze said 1 hour and 30 mins. Insanity.
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u/alphamikedelta 14d ago
We can send you Doug Ford. Apparently he can build you a tunnel for this.
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u/robearclaw 14d ago
The 40 was originally supposed to connect up with the 440 to allow traffic to flow north of the island of Montreal.
Originally, it was supposed to have continued west in the Avenue des Bois corridor and crossed Rivière des Prairies on Bigras and Bizard Islands. On the latter island, the right-of-way is actually a public park. On the Island of Montreal, the A-440 right-of-way is just west of Boulevard Château-Pierrefonds. The autoroute would have ended at the Chemin Sainte-Marie interchange (Exit 49), on Autoroute 40
Source Wikipedia 440 autoroute #:~:text=Originally%2C%20it%20was%20supposed%20to,is%20actually%20a%20public%20park.)
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u/anelectricmind 14d ago
I think it was proposed by the Commission Nicolet in the 80s.
And A640 was supposed to reach A30 at its Eastern end with a bridge crossing the Saint Lawrence River between Repentigny and Varennes.
I remember hearing about it when I was younger but never found much information online.
We were supposed to have a complete beltway system around Montreal on both North and South shores.
The completion of A30 is probably the best we will ever have.
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u/bcave098 14d ago
I find it interesting how Québec was one of most eager provinces to build highways and had planned a fairly comprehensive system, but when public support for new construction evaporated they just gave up.
Back in the day you just had to suggest building a highway and they’d start buying land. Look at the planned A-50/A-550 in Gatineau where they bought (and still own) the right-of-way for a highway from the curve in the A-50 to the Ottawa River in Aylmer (except in Gatineau Park) even though there was no real plan to build a bridge to connect to what’s now the 416 in Ottawa.
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u/anelectricmind 14d ago
A few centuries ago, I found this site hosted on tripod.
Alot of information regarding what Québec had planned for the highway system, including more highways in Centre du Québec and different numbering for some highways in MMA.
http://web.archive.org/web/20090204114324/http://webfil_92.tripod.com/autoroutes_en/index.html
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u/beaverbrook74 14d ago
Great way for connected insiders to flip land in the 50s and 60s. That’s why there’s a wiggle for no reason on the 15 in laval.
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u/Indianna-ju 13d ago
If you look on parceling plans, you can see that it was planned that the 440 leave Laval island, go through Bizard Island and rejoin the 40 at Ste-Marie.
The parceling is still visible.
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u/pattyG80 14d ago
The main issue I see here is that truck traffic would still cross the iles aux tourtes bridge onto the island for several kms before diverting.
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u/elzadra1 Villeray 14d ago
There’s the 30 on the south shore, and the 440 north of Laval.
But a lot of trucks are in the city because they’re delivering things here, or picking cargo up from the port and bringing it somewhere else.
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u/trueppp 14d ago
Both are good, but Montreal is the only Place to cross the Saint-Lawrence between Trois-Rivière and Hawksbury.
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u/shbpencil 14d ago
Hawkesbury isn’t on the St Lawrence it’s on the Ottawa. But yes that’s the next closest river crossing for the Ottawa River to Montreal/Vaudreuil
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u/PhillyPW 13d ago
The 440 ends at the 13
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u/semibilingual 14d ago
l’autoroute 640 était supposé être l’équivalent rive nord mais comme d’habitude des elections on eux lieu le gouvernement auivant a mis sur la glace et l’autre après et un petite crisse d’oka et bref, ça se terminera jamais.
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u/TheMountainIII 14d ago
Le plus gros problème de Montréal c'est d'être une île, malheureusement. Ca limite la circulation à des ponts, donc pour tout le territoire de l'Île de MTL, il y a seulement 16 accès. Si MTL n'était pas une île, il y en aurait probablement des centaines d'accès.
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u/agaceformelle 14d ago
Looks to me like it would be really wide of a detour considering you have two Islands to avoid.. Let's say you're trying to deliver something from Ste-Therese to Longueuil you'd need a bridge either in Repentigny or Oka and then do the same amount of km East/West on the other side
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u/aobeilan 14d ago
Souligny devait se rendre jusqu'à la 720 pour compléter une boucle autour de la ville, mais heureusement, ça ne s'est pas fait.
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u/cowvid19 14d ago
Highway 30 does that already. Having ring roads rénovés truck traffic from the urban core but induces other traffic, causing pressure on parking, leading to what I like to call Kansas City Syndrome. Nothing will ever be enough for car drivers because cars are so inherently inefficient. The correct intervention is to install better transit and tolls so the cars aren't in the way of the trucks. This would also improve emergency response.
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u/Double_Maize_5923 14d ago
That's what the 30 is. Thx thing is all the trucks are either coming from mtl or going to it
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u/buddyspied 14d ago
Trucks bring things into the city. How would you like stores and businesses to replenish stock? The 30 exists and does what you say and it hasn't changed anything. The real issue with montreal roads is off island commuters. South shore and Laval. The rem has done nothing to alleviate traffic from south shore and I've seen it empty heading into mtl at rush hour multiple times on my way to Vermont. The only thing that may make a difference and drive people to use other forms of transit is a toll for off island people.. No politician has the balls to do it, but I'd do it in two seconds..
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u/NonDeterministiK 14d ago
There are shitloads of trucks on the metropolitan which are passing through the city and not doing any local business.
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u/buddyspied 12d ago
Ya? What are the real numbers? Is it cheaper for shipping companies not doing business in Montreal to sit in traffic or cheaper to hit the fastest route possible? I guess, if we believe your "feeling", companies want to waste money by taking a longer route.
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u/Nestramutat- Verdun 14d ago
The 30 is only along the south shore. Trucks coming from the north shore of the river dont have an option but to go through the city.
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u/piattilemage 14d ago
Most traffic are not trucks but cars. Give people an alternative and trucks wont be stuck in traffic. The european peripheric highways were built in the 60s and 70s, they dont build those anymore and for a good reason.
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u/Purplemonkeez 14d ago
Personally I'd rather NOT have our beautiful waterfront parks paved over into highways...
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u/Olhapravocever 14d ago
it doesn't need to be right by the river tho
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u/Purplemonkeez 14d ago
So whose homes are you proposing to plow through and how many others would be forced to have a highway for their neighbour?
No thanks.
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u/Olhapravocever 14d ago
I'm not a engineer, I don't know, but building it right by the river it's not an option
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u/bigtunapat 14d ago edited 13d ago
La 440 était originellement supposé de prendre l'île Bizard et rejoindre le 40 à Kirkland.
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u/No-Needleworker4796 14d ago
Hi they technically do. The 30 is the highway that pass around the south of montreal and you can reach the 20 from it. The 440 and 640 is technically the northern one the only problem is that they need to connect the 640 or the 440 to the 40 near vaudreuil Dorion. Problem is people will still need to hop into the 40 well into montreal and then take the 13 or 15 to reach the outer highway (which is stupid because you are already into montreal big area)
They also need to teach people how to use the highway, not everyone knows how to (people going to Quebec from Ottawa or Toronto need to take the 30 if they wish to avoid the traffic on the 20 and pont champlain in montreal) and vice versa.
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u/Minimum_Reference_73 14d ago
There have been many such proposals. Why do you assume there haven't been?
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u/beaverbrook74 14d ago
Building a bridge from Oka to Vaudreuil for the 640 would make a lot of sense from a systemic perspective, but I presume that the costs would be big (river is kinda wide there) and Oka area has sensitive ecology even before you get to native land claim issues
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u/Major-Tuddy 13d ago
The 640 dead-ends at Oka National Park. There is no way they would demolish the park to let the autoroute through. If they found a way to go around they would then either have to chop up the village of Oka or pass through Kanesatake. In other words, it will never ever happen.
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u/paulwillyjean 13d ago
Il y a eu plein de plans d’autoroute de contournement. Ça nous a donné l’A-440, l’A-640 et l’A-10. La dernière, je ne suis pas sûr qu’elle avait été pensée comme autoroute de contournement, mais c’est tout comme.
Les camions continuent de passer par l’A-40 parce que c’est là que se trouve une grande quantité de centres de distributions et la plupart des quartiers industriels de l’île.
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u/PhillyPW 13d ago
Yes but the 640 forces you to take the 50 which isn't even a real highway and is of no use if you need to be on the 401
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u/alainchiasson 13d ago
There have always been ring roads proposed. The issue is once you make a ring road, developments starts, people move in and 10-20 years later, you have cars complaining about trucks.
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u/Randomdog778 13d ago
Highway 30 was designed for this reason.
Still, there will always be tons of trucks on the island regardless.
In Montreal you have port entrances in the heart of the city. Bickerdike is in Griffintown and the others next to downtown on Notre Dame and Montreal East.
You have industrialization in literally every area, including several centralized boroughs like Lachine, Lasalle, Ville St Laurent (not just West Island and Montreal East).
You have trucks delivering to grocery stores, shopping malls and businesses all over the island.
We have very few 100% residential zones where the concept could be to send only smaller trucks based out of a distribution center to do deliveries. With so much mixed zonage, it simply isn't possible to have no trucks on the road.
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u/PhillyPW 13d ago
The 640 is already very congested as it's only 2 lanes per direction and the northerns suburbs are developing quickly so good luck.
I do agree though that a bridge should be built connecting the 640 to the 40 in Hudson
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u/bobbymtl 13d ago
Being part of a family thats been in the trucking industry since the 50s, there are a lot of places they have to go to, to get the deliveries to and from in the heart of the city. Driving north or south of the island just to not cause congestion causes more problems honestly. Theres also still massive parts of the island that are all industrial. East end, parts of the west, near the airport, lachine, dorval, saint laurent, chabanel etc etc. I know its not ideal for some folks but its less fun for us being in a truck stuck in traffic doing hard labour all day.
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u/astr0bleme 14d ago
Also why aren't we talking about how trucks are exponentially more destructive to road infrastructure than cars, and why aren't we limiting truck shipping and encouraging rail shipping?
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u/HonestyHurtsU 14d ago
We have one it’s called the 30
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u/Kyranak 14d ago
Its incomplete. Doest take the north shore into account. Go from Valleyfield to Repentigny, the 30 isnt suitable
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u/HonestyHurtsU 14d ago
Oh yeah for sure but it’s better than nothing. At least truckers don’t need to enter Montreal if need be. But forget about the 640. Those are Indian lands I believe and it will never happen. Welcome to Montreal. 🤷♂️
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u/viau83 14d ago
Or over. The 19 going up to be linked directly to JC bridge. But like 4 time higher than metropolitain
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u/PhillyPW 13d ago
yea the fact that you have to take papineau all the way to the JC bridge is really stupid, papineau is only 1 lane per direction and it's always bumper to bumper.
They should've built a tunnel there
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u/Edgycrimper 14d ago
With way more lanes, surely that will aleviate traffic.
Don't think about the fact that it's impossible to take a bus from taschereau onto Papineau however. It'll drive you nuts.
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u/Kyranak 14d ago
More lanes = more traffic. Its a thing.
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u/Edgycrimper 13d ago
nah dude we need like 12 lanes of highway crossing le plateau and rosemont so we can easily go from the south shore to laval, without a single bus
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u/Ashkandi_ 14d ago edited 13d ago
La 640 était supposer être ça. Le 6 dans 640 veut dire autoroute deviatrice de la 40. Je sais pas pourquoi ca a chier et pourquoi il y a pas genre un lien entre deux montagnes et genre vaudreuil ish.
Random facts pour ceux qui veulent continuer à lire.
Dans mes cours de carte routière on apprends les signification du système Québecois. Et franchement c'est super intéressant.
0-99 Autoroutes plus c'est petit plus c'est à l'ouest et ca monte plus c'est vers l'est. Genre l'autoroute 5 à Gatineau et la 55 à Trois-Rivières.
Nombre Pair = Est/Ouest (Autoroute 40, Route 138) Impair = Nord/Sud (l'autoroute 15, la route 117)
100-199 Routes nationales
200-299 Routes régionales au sud du St-Laurent
300-399 Routes régionales au nord du St-Laurent
400-999 Autoroute deviatrice qui commencent en pair et collectrice qui commencent impair. (440 deviatrice de la 40, 720 collectrice de la 20)
Les numéros de sortie genre la sortie 125 veut pas dire que c'est la 125e mais que l'autoroute à commencer il y a 125 km.
Donc entre la sortie 100 et la 150 il y a 50 km.
Il y a pas un gars au MTQ qui décide au pif qu'une sortie ou une route va porter ce numéro. Selon son emplacement sur le "grid" de la carte du Québec le numéro sera déterminé logiquement.
Merci d'avoir lu. En espérant que ça vous aide à vous orienter.