A-30 is the most piecemeal freeway in North America to share one designation. There are no fewer than four distinct pieces of A-30, from a two-lane bypass of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield to a two-lane bypass of Bécancour, with two four-lane (or even six) freeway segments between them. Well, eventually, all of the pieces are to connect, and the Valleyfield section will be A-530, now that plans have been revised to take A-30 across the St. Lawrence River to A-20 a little sooner (at the A-540 interchange). The two divided freeways are close to being connected around St.-Constant, which is by a good margin the smallest of the three gaps. The freeway was originally planned to follow QC 132 through the developed area, as a freeway with frontage roads (continuing the pattern on the east side of St.-Constant and Ste.-Catherine), but the town killed that idea and Québec resourcefully found an alternate solution. Of the other two gaps, plans are more active to connect west toward Coteau-du-Lac, probably because there isn't as much traffic northeast of Sorel.
All photos are taken eastbound.


QC 132 and 201 used to follow Chemin Larocque into the heart of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, but with the narrow streets and high traffic volumes, the two routes now opportunistically hitch a ride along A-30 (planned future A-530) to the east side of the city. Overpasses are ready for this part of A-30 to be a full four-lane freeway, because as the third photo says, A-30 is closer than it appears (like a truck in your rearview mirror - what a sense of humor!). Of course, if the current plans go through, that sign will need a 530 shield instead.


More fun signs on the next bypass, around Châteauguay. The future is in A-30 says the first sign, more propaganda to convince people they really want this freeway (and most really do, but plenty of vocal ones don't). The second sign is the happy arrow with the disconnected hands who gives you nightmares and tells you to be careful, be responsible, and slow down. I have named him Frédéric Laflèche (Fred Arrow). He is the freakiest mascot anyone could wish for, and uniquely Québecois.


Unlike the other two small segments (the main one is southeast of Montréal), the Châteauguay bypass has exit numbers, as new as they may be (now that the routing is apparently finalized). Also, because the gap is so small and enough people are using the Autoroute, A-30 is actually signed along QC 132 for once, unlike at the other gaps (which are also connected by 132).


Looking east and west from a small street off of Montée de la Saline in Delson at the future Châteauguay bypass being graded.


Again looking east and west, this time from the top of the grade. There is a long way to go here.


Finally, on Rue St.-Ignace looking west across the end of Montée de la Saline at the entire section of future 30 I just walked.


In Québec, trucks don't visit weigh stations, they instead drive onto portable showers. Or is that a giant electromagnet - the entire thing could be a portable truck gallows from the way it's laid out.


The eastern end of the main section of A-30 freeway in Sorel, with two paved carriageways continuing a short distance beyond the barricades before ending on the embankment shy of QC 133. One day they will continue as an overpass.


Looking east across QC 133 at the wide-open land waiting for a bridge, and then back west after crossing it at the stubs of the end of the freeway. When this next road is bridged, the current mainline will become the diamond exit ramps.


Looking west across Boulevard Poliquin. The surface alignment of A-30 is demarcated by the light poles. There would be another interchange here, which is why there's so much clear land in the NW quadrant in the foreground.


On the frontage roads at the A-55 interchange, just after entering the easternmost segment of A-30 from QC 132. The freeway hasn't been built through here yet, so A-30 follows the frontage roads for 1-2 km until it's clear of A-55. These signs surprised me by being somewhat old, given how new and piecemeal A-30 is in general.


The snow-covered stub west of QC 132, and looking east at the four-span QC 132 overpass with nothing in the middle. Satellite photos are inconclusive, but it appears the inner lanes are indeed paved, just not plowed for obvious reasons.


Well, visiting again in summer proved that conclusion. These photos look west on the completely paved EB mainline stub, with a stub frontage road to the left (see first photo) and the stub WB side (with both mainline and frontage road) most clearly visible in the third photo. As you can see, the province uses the EB lanes for paint testing, but the WB lanes are spared that fate.


Some of the amusing results of paint testing accumulating over the years. One straight arrow manages to disrupt what are otherwise two parallel columns of left-turn arrows. Then crosswalk mayhem begins - but where are the pedestrians?


Heading east from A-55, where the lanes from the frontage roads converge into the freeway, which then instantly drops down to two lanes and is only an expressway. Obviously, in the distant future, this could become a divided four-lane freeway, but Québec likes to take roads one step at a time.


The same location in summer, looking east from A-55 NB. The 100 inch-wide lanes continue practically into the merge with the active frontage road, which then swerves over to the WB side and the Super-2 freeway (i.e. the EB side would be added when it's twinned, if it ever is).

Onto QC 132
To A-15
Onto A-55
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