Rt 138 Howick to Ormstown now has paved road shoulders

This excellent Chateauguay Valley ride has just received two big improvements for cyclists - merci Transports Québec!

The red circles are the improvements, for a map of the ride on the recently resurrected bikely bike-ride-map web site, click here.



Real-time improvement in cycling safety


A repaving project on the Rt 138 betwen Ormstown and Howick in southwest Quebec has added paved shoulders to what was previously quite a serious death ride.

Why is this important?

Because a certain paradise for cycling road (called variously montée Bryson/Brysonville side road and further south Le Rocher/the Rock to St-Antoine-Abbé) required cyclists to ride one kilometer of Rt 138 "on the white line" between Brysonville side road and the Allan's Corners bridge across the Chateauguay river to the quiet River Road on the non-highway side of the river.

Getting paved shoulders here is a victory for cycling safety.

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A Chateauguay River bridge crossing is improved just for cyclists


Spot the improved part


In other news, the obsolete and closed (pont barré) Pont Turcot bridge that crosses the Chateauguay river at Georgetown church beside Howick Quebec has just been refitted for cyclists.

This is really excellent news for road cyclists. The Chateauguay river and the Chateauguay Valley are an excellent destination for road cycling. There were a few safety issues with crossing the river and short sections of Rt 138 to reach the quiet side roads heading south to the US border (first/premier concession road).


That's not a fence, just a slow-down entryway gate on to a great old bridge.




The Chateauguay river at Howick (Georgetown)