In a statement to local media on Friday, Fortin outlined his concerns about the safety of the western end of the divided section of Hwy 148, where . . .

the two west-bound lanes are reduced to one lane and where vehicles enter and exit the commercial strip in Luskville.

Fortin was speaking at a media briefing he convened jointly with Joanne Labadie, the mayor of the Municipality of Pontiac, held in the parking lot of the commercial strip beside Hwy 148.

Fortin said that west-bound vehicles approaching the end of the four-lane section are often going too fast to deal safely with vehicles that are turning into or leaving the commercial strip along the side of the highway, and that there are incidents where vehicles exiting the parking lot have turned left into the oncoming lanes.

“To me, this is an accident waiting to happen,” said the MNA.

Work postponed to 2022

According to Fortin, the Quebec transport ministry (Ministère des Transports du Québec – MTQ) recognizes the need to reconfigure that section of highway and had intended to begin work on it this summer. He said the envisioned reconfiguration will involve the removal of a section of the median that currently divides the four-lane part of the highway, and the installation of a three-lane section in which the middle lane is dedicated to both right and left turns.

As explained by Mayor Labadie, the work planned by the MTQ was delayed due to COVID-related reasons and is now expected to take place next year.

In the meantime, Fortin and Labadie want the MTQ to put signs up that will alert drivers to the dangers and help increase the safety of that section of highway.

“There needs to be, at least temporarily, before the work starts by the MTQ, some sort of signage on the highway,” said Fortin, acknowledging that at least one business owner in the commercial strip had put up signs on their own as a stop-gap measure.

“So, our call to the MTQ today is simply to act now before it is too late. Put some additional signage, make sure that people know they are entering a zone where they should slow down, where they should take extra precautions,” said Fortin.

“It’s just a matter of safety and the MTQ taking their responsibility,” he said.

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