CALEB NICKERSON
LITCHFIELD July 31, 2018
On July 31, local officials were at the town hall in Litchfield to announce funding for the relocation of a perilous intersection along Hwy. 148.
Pontiac MNA and provincial transport minister André Fortin, alongside Litchfield Mayor Colleen Larivière, announced $353,415 in financial assistance to move the intersection of chemin Laforet and Hwy. 148.
The funding represents roughly 75 per cent of the project, with a further $117,804 being allocated from the Municipality’s gas tax.
“It’s always fun, as transport minister, to announce projects in your own riding because first and foremost, you do it for the people here locally,” Fortin said.
For those not familiar with the intersection, it sits at the bottom of the hill just north of Campbell’s Bay. Vehicles attempting to turn onto the westbound lane towards Fort Coulonge have very limited visibility of vehicles coming down the hill.

“The project that Litchfield submitted is really to improve safety on our roads,” Fortin continued. “The corner of Laforet and the 148 is an intersection that should have been improved a long time ago. It’s not one that’s user-friendly … you need a bit of a rubber neck to be able to negotiate it. Even then, it’s a bit of a hope and a prayer that there’s not another vehicle coming as you enter the intersection.”
The work is estimated to take six to eight weeks and will move the intersection further away from the base of the hill. Improvements will also be made to nearby Bank Road. Larivière said that this project is a major concern for her constituents and has been in the works for quite some time.
“This project has been worked on for the past 4 years,” she said. “It was one of my priorities when I became mayor five years ago. It was one of the things I wanted to get done.”
She added that they are currently waiting on approval from the CPTAQ and hopes the work will be completed by the early fall.