Autoroute 19 extension announced

It must be an election year. Quebec has promised the extension of autoroute 19, from the 440 (that transects Laval island) to the 640 (which parallels the 440 along the couronne nord).

Laval’s mayor says the extension will decrease congestion. Urban observers know exactly the opposite will happen, because it always does.

There’s a lot of history here, since this idea’s been percolating for 40 years. It was promised by the Charest government in 2010 then shot down by the Marois government that succeeded it. The most recent news involves Mayor Plante’s statement last month that Montreal would prefer to keep the road as an urban boulevard as had been floated by BAPE, but no.

People have been chiefly concerned that the highway will dump an unprecedented flow of traffic onto Papineau, which is what the 19 turns into on Montreal island and isn’t a highway. In 2014, Projet Montréal fought hard against the extension, too.