Following a recent MTQ announcement of almost $250 million worth of road work planned for provincial highways in the Outaouais that made no mention of the Pontiac, THE EQUITY checked in with the Pontiac MNA who revealed there is more to the story.

“The full list of projects actually has positive news for the area, projects for which I have been advocating for years,” Fortin told THE EQUITY in an email.

“If the MTQ follows its schedule, there will be more work on MTQ roads this year than in years past.”

According to Fortin, the MTQ plans to:

pave Front Street in Campbell’s Bay on the MTQ portion between Hwy 148 and Leslie Street,
work on the Hwy 148 bridge between Allumettes Island and Pembroke,
start the paving of Hwy 301 in Otter Lake between the 366 and Stephens Road (a project that has been requested by the municipality for a long time), and
continue work on the 301 bridge in Portage du Fort.

The MTQ also plans to repave the section of Hwy 148 between Westbrook Road and Kennedy Road in the Municipality of Pontiac.

“This stretch of highway has been a priority of mine for years,” said Fortin. “I am glad the MTQ has finally heard my longstanding plea, as this section has become dangerous when the road is wet.”

‘Unacceptable’

Not good news is the plan to postpone fixing the western end of the four-lane section of Hwy 148 in the Luskville area.

“The government has once again disappointed by pushing this back to next year,” said Fortin. “While this is a significant and costly investment, this section of the highway is particularly risky, as entrances to the businesses clearly do not line up with the highway configuration.”

In 2021, the MNA held a press conference at the site, with then mayor of the Municipality of Pontiac Joanne Labadie, to publicize the danger where vehicles enter and exit the commercial strip where the two-lane and four-lane sections of the highway connect, and lament MTQ’s decision to postpone reconfiguration of the highway until 2022 (See An accident waiting to happen THE EQUITY, June 23, 2021).

Fortin says the Quebec government has also refused to add Hwy 303 at the north end of Shawville to the work schedule.

“This is unacceptable. This section of road is particularly awful, and needs to be fixed ASAP,” Fortin said. “I will continue to push for this, as it cannot stay in its current shape.”

“This section of road is particularly awful,” says Pontiac MNA André Fortin, describing Hwy 303 just north of Shawville.

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