WB at the Ontario border, courtesy Averill Hecht.


A-40 EB and A-540 NB, second photo courtesy Lou Corsaro. From A-40, ON 401 is via A-20 WB. From A-540, ON 417 is via A-40 WB. Makes sense when you look at a map.


Boulevard Morgan, Sortie 44, being reconstructed over A-40 (facing east).


One of Montréal's many blank signs - someone please tell me why - followed by a contrast between old (narrow) and new (wide) shields (and an off-center destination), culminating in the same on the exit ramp plus a JCT Police trailblazer. Whatever gets the message across.


Non-functioning arrows on the WB split with Autoroute 15 SB. The U.S. commonly uses alternating amber signal lenses (or in layman's terms, yellow blinkers). In either case, it only works if the lights are on.


EB off Sortie (Exit) 74 for A-19 (there are a lot of directional interchanges in Montréal, so WB one must use Exit 75). These little directional plates are great for getting around Montréal, what with its directions skewed to its street grid (at some points, "Nord" is almost due "Ouest"), but they don't help you realize A-19 begins here at Avenue Papineau.


At least it has shoulders, but the Autoroute Métropolitaine (seen westbound around Sortie 75 for A-19) is plenty old and dilapidated.


A-40 is actually heading northeast here at QC 125, so it doesn't make sense to have A-25 Sud (South) on it. This photo was taken in 2001, and Québec probably missed the left BGS when altering the route of A-25 onto Boul. Henri-Bourassa (cutting some distance, but missing out on some higher speeds on A-40). The blank space on the exit sign looks like it's because a QC 125 shield was patched over an A-25 shield (A-25 NORD), which itself was patched onto the sign years ago, and it still should be TO A-25 Nord (at least for now). And straight ahead should be TO A-25 Sud.


QC 125 (Boul. Pie-IX) NB at A-40. The signs appear to reflect the prior state of affairs, when A-25 north followed QC 125 from here on up, but if you look closely you'll see red tape over the A-25 shield on the left BGS and the Sud on the right BGS. In other words, now one is supposed to use A-40 Est to both directions of A-25... except the best way to go north is still straight ahead, or else you'll be backtracking several kilometers. It's not too hard to ignore the tape... it's only hard to see it.


Old WB town line sign. Well, really a neighborhood sign, as almost the whole island is all part of Montréal.


EB with A-55 SB outside Trois-Rivières. I explain why they multiplex below.

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A-40 Stub, Trois-Rivières

East of the A-55 interchange, A-40 was meant to continue straight around the north side of the city, continuing around Cap-de-la-Madeleine and flowing seamlessly into the rest of A-40 toward Québec City. Now, I am not exaggerating when I say that 100% of the right of way is clear and waiting for this freeway, but for mysterious reasons the A-40 routing goes straight through the heart of Trois-Rivières and Cap-de-la-Madeleine, then comes to a 90-degree turn with a wide median where it rejoins the intended alignment. Also, A-55 has a perfect half-cloverleaf at its western junction with A-40, and the highway continues eastward a short distance as an abandoned stub. Access is from Boulevard des Chenaux just to the north.


Westward onto the former Boulevard des Chenaux, which was rerouted around the A-40/A-55 interchange. It was made four lanes from the original two (as seen on the abandoned roadway) to handle the traffic from the northern half of that interchange, which has full access to and from the Boulevard.


The modern Boulevard (WB) bows far to the right of the cloverleaf, in anticipation of the outer WB-NB finger ramp.


Heading west to the NB-WB loop, looking at the white center pavement stripes that date this interchange to the 1960's or earlier, about when the changeover to yellow stripes happened in North America, and then ending at a fairly wide grassy reserve that was cleared of Boulevard pavement for the WB-NB ramp that's not there.


Facing east where the modern and old alignments converge.


Out a small access driveway to the cleared and graded A-40 stub, looking east on the WB side. As you can see, this is a popular hiking trail. For roadgeeks. Who happened to be in my car that day.


Heading the proper direction into the interchange. As traffic merges into A-40, the overhead gantry was set up to be wide enough for a WB-SB exit, but since traffic can just U-turn at Boulevard des Chenaux, the west-side loops weren't built, so there's just a reassurance BGS.


Looking west on the EB side into the end of the active freeway. Again, there is a setup of boulders blocking the way, although in this direction there's actually a chance of hitting them.


Walking (well, jogging) (okay, running because no one else wanted to spend that much time around here) back eastward on the EB stub back to where the trail comes in - the only good way to get from one side to the other.

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Into Ontario on ON 417
Sortie 32 to A-20
Sortie 32 to ON 401
Sortie 60 to A-13
Sortie 74 or 75 to A-19
To A-25 (alone, if you will)
Onto A-55
Back to Québec Roads
Back to Roads