Quebec Autoroute 85

Autoroute 85
Route Transcanadienne
Autoroute Claude-Béchard
Route information
Maintained by Transports Québec
Length92 km (57 mi)
Existed2002–present
Major junctions
South end Route 2 (TCH) near Moulin-Morneault, NB
Major intersections R-232 in Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac
Rue Fraserville, Rivière-du-Loup
North end A-20 (TCH) in Notre-Dame-du-Portage
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
Major citiesRivière-du-Loup, Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, Saint-Antonin, Dégelis, Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
Highway system
A-73 R-101

Autoroute 85 is a Quebec Autoroute and the route of the Trans-Canada Highway in the province's Bas-Saint-Laurent region, also known as Autoroute Claude-Béchard. It is currently under construction with committed Federal and Provincial funding for its completion, with an projected completion date of 2026. Once this upgrade is completed, it will close the last gap in the nearly continuous freeway section of the Trans-Canada between Arnprior, Ontario, and Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and for an even longer interprovincial freeway route between Windsor, Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Running between Rivière-du-Loup (at a junction with Autoroute 20) and a junction with New Brunswick Route 2 at the Quebec-New Brunswick border, A-85 when complete will be the only controlled access highway link between the Maritime Provinces and the rest of the country. A-85 is projected to be approximately 100 km (60 mi) long when construction is complete and will replace Route 185, which has been called one of the deadliest highways in Canada.

Currently there are two completed sections of A-85. The northern section runs from south of Saint-Honoré-de-Témiscouata (km 57) to a junction with the A-20 at Notre-Dame-du-Portage (km 100). Originally signed as Route 185 when built, it was designed as A-85 in 2005 following extensive rehabilitation. The southern section extends from the New Brunswick border (km 0) to north of Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! (km 50). Construction began in 2002 in the vicinity of Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac and it was completed in 2016. The government of Quebec is currently building the final section to Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, and it is scheduled to be completed in 2026.