Boulevard Fournier
Encyclopedia
Boulevard Fournier is a main route in the city of Gatineau
, Quebec
that connects the Gatineau and Hull
sectors. It starts as the extension of Boulevard Greber in the old city of Gatineau
and ends at the entrance of the downtown core where it becomes Boulevard Maisonneuve which connects the Portage Bridge
towards Ottawa. It was once part of Route 148
until the Quebec Ministry of Transportation
rerouted the provincial highway onto Autoroute 50
and Autoroute 5
as a concurrency.
The road crosses right in the middle of Lac Leamy Park one of the key greenspace
s of the city. A road connects Fournier to the Lake and its beaches itself. Several bike paths connect the boulevard to the lake or Jacques Cartier Park
and downtown Gatineau and Ottawa
.
The artery was named after Alphonse Fournier
.
is the oldest bridge connecting the former city of Gatineau to the former City of Hull
. Previously only a two-lane bridge, it was built at the beginning in 1894 and named the Gatineau Bridge.
It was renamed Lady Aberdeen for the wife of former Governor General of Canada John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair
, Ishbel Maria Marjoribanks
when she nearly drowned near the bridge while returning from a meeting at the nearby Saint-Francois de Salles church, and was rescued by local villagers.
It was replaced in 1931 by the current structure by the Dominion Bridge Company
. However, due to the population growth in the Pointe-Gatineau sector, a second bridge that is used for southbound commuters was built. Recently, the city of Gatineau was concerned about the structure of the older portion of the bridge and is doing repairs to solidify it. It imposed a weight restriction on the area prompting heavy trucks to travel on Autoroute 50
.
Major reconstruction of the old structure started in 2006 and continued for most of 2007. In 2007, the construction forced the shut down of the northbound lanes towards Pointe-Gatineau, diverting the traffic towards the southbound structure with one lane in each direction except during peak periods where it is closed to northbound traffic in the morning and southbound traffic in the afternoon. Cyclist and pedestrian traffic are forced to use the western sidewalk and a narrow lane beside it. Part of the Route Verte provincial bicycle network, TV station CHOT-TV
discussed during a news report safety issues during the construction period due to the high risk of accidents between cyclists and vehicles as one of the collisions during the summer was a fatal one.
buses traveling to and from downtown Gatineau and the old Gatineau sector and there are bus lanes along most of the stretch. Those lanes were necessary due to the very high flow of traffic (sometimes there is lots of congestion), since this road is used as an alternative to Autoroute 50
. Express routes and some regular routes travels on Fournier, but express routes do not serve the stops due to a closed-doors policy that speed up travel time for express users. On both sides of the bridges, there are transit signal priorities in which buses can cross the intersection before the green light preventing to be caught in line-ups.
The measures are in place until the STO's Rapibus, which will follow the Quebec-Gatineau Railway
Line, will be in operation starting in 2010.
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
that connects the Gatineau and Hull
Hull, Quebec
Hull is the central and oldest part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadian National Capital Region, it contains offices for twenty thousand...
sectors. It starts as the extension of Boulevard Greber in the old city of Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
and ends at the entrance of the downtown core where it becomes Boulevard Maisonneuve which connects the Portage Bridge
Portage Bridge
The Portage Bridge crosses the Ottawa River just down-river from the Chaudière Bridge, joining the communities of Gatineau, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario, linking Laurier Street and Alexandre-Taché Boulevard in the Hull sector of Gatineau and Wellington Street at the Garden of the Provinces and...
towards Ottawa. It was once part of Route 148
Quebec route 148
Route 148 is a major east-west highway in Quebec, Canada. It runs from Autoroute 25 in Laval in the Montreal region to the Ontario-Quebec border in L'Isle-aux-Allumettes in western Quebec. For most of its length, Route 148 follows the north shore of the Ottawa River where it acts as the principal...
until the Quebec Ministry of Transportation
Transports Québec
Le ministère des Transports du Québec , known by its short form name Transports Québec, is a Quebec government ministry responsible for transport infrastructure and law in Quebec, Canada....
rerouted the provincial highway onto Autoroute 50
Quebec Autoroute 50
Autoroute 50 is an Autoroute in western Quebec. Once completed, it will link the Outaouais region to the Greater Montreal area....
and Autoroute 5
Quebec Autoroute 5
Autoroute 5 is a short Autoroute in the Outaouais region of western Quebec. It connects the central urban area of Gatineau with the recreational areas of Gatineau Park and the exurban rural areas of Chelsea and La Pêche...
as a concurrency.
The road crosses right in the middle of Lac Leamy Park one of the key greenspace
Greenway (landscape)
A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...
s of the city. A road connects Fournier to the Lake and its beaches itself. Several bike paths connect the boulevard to the lake or Jacques Cartier Park
Jacques Cartier Park
Jacques Cartier Park is a park in Gatineau, Quebec, across the river from the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. It is named for French explorer Jacques Cartier, who arrived at the mouth of the Ottawa River while he was looking for the Northwest Passage. The National Capital Commission uses the...
and downtown Gatineau and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
The artery was named after Alphonse Fournier
Alphonse Fournier
Alphonse Fournier, PC was a Canadian politician.Born in Methuen, Massachusetts, he was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons representing the Quebec riding of Hull in the 1930 federal election. A Liberal, he was re-elected in 1935, 1940, 1945, and 1949.From 1942 to 1953, he was the...
.
Lady Aberdeen Bridge
The Lady Aberdeen Bridge that crosses the Gatineau RiverGatineau River
The Gatineau River is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec...
is the oldest bridge connecting the former city of Gatineau to the former City of Hull
Hull, Quebec
Hull is the central and oldest part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadian National Capital Region, it contains offices for twenty thousand...
. Previously only a two-lane bridge, it was built at the beginning in 1894 and named the Gatineau Bridge.
It was renamed Lady Aberdeen for the wife of former Governor General of Canada John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair
John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair
John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , known as The Earl of Aberdeen from 1870 to 1916, was a Scottish politician...
, Ishbel Maria Marjoribanks
Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair
Ishbel Maria Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair, GBE was a Scottish author, philanthropist and an advocate of woman's interests.-Family:...
when she nearly drowned near the bridge while returning from a meeting at the nearby Saint-Francois de Salles church, and was rescued by local villagers.
It was replaced in 1931 by the current structure by the Dominion Bridge Company
Dominion Bridge Company
Dominion Bridge Company Limited was a Canadian steel bridge constructor originally based in Lachine, Quebec. From the core business of steel bridge component fabrication, the company diversified into related areas such as the fabrication of holding tanks for pulp mills and skyscraper framing.Other...
. However, due to the population growth in the Pointe-Gatineau sector, a second bridge that is used for southbound commuters was built. Recently, the city of Gatineau was concerned about the structure of the older portion of the bridge and is doing repairs to solidify it. It imposed a weight restriction on the area prompting heavy trucks to travel on Autoroute 50
Quebec Autoroute 50
Autoroute 50 is an Autoroute in western Quebec. Once completed, it will link the Outaouais region to the Greater Montreal area....
.
Major reconstruction of the old structure started in 2006 and continued for most of 2007. In 2007, the construction forced the shut down of the northbound lanes towards Pointe-Gatineau, diverting the traffic towards the southbound structure with one lane in each direction except during peak periods where it is closed to northbound traffic in the morning and southbound traffic in the afternoon. Cyclist and pedestrian traffic are forced to use the western sidewalk and a narrow lane beside it. Part of the Route Verte provincial bicycle network, TV station CHOT-TV
CHOT-TV
CHOT-DT is a television station in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is affiliated with the TVA network, and also serves Franco-Ontarians in the neighbouring city of Ottawa, Ontario. Its studios are located in the former city of Hull. The station broadcasts on channel 40, and it is owned by RNC Media...
discussed during a news report safety issues during the construction period due to the high risk of accidents between cyclists and vehicles as one of the collisions during the summer was a fatal one.
Transit Priorities
It is also the main route used by STOSociété de transport de l'Outaouais
Société de transport de l'Outaouais is the transit service of the Outaouais region of Quebec. It operates public transit routes in Gatineau, Quebec, including the Hull, Aylmer, Gatineau, Buckingham and Masson-Angers sectors, plus limited service to suburban communities such as Chelsea and...
buses traveling to and from downtown Gatineau and the old Gatineau sector and there are bus lanes along most of the stretch. Those lanes were necessary due to the very high flow of traffic (sometimes there is lots of congestion), since this road is used as an alternative to Autoroute 50
Quebec Autoroute 50
Autoroute 50 is an Autoroute in western Quebec. Once completed, it will link the Outaouais region to the Greater Montreal area....
. Express routes and some regular routes travels on Fournier, but express routes do not serve the stops due to a closed-doors policy that speed up travel time for express users. On both sides of the bridges, there are transit signal priorities in which buses can cross the intersection before the green light preventing to be caught in line-ups.
The measures are in place until the STO's Rapibus, which will follow the Quebec-Gatineau Railway
Chemins de Fer Québec-Gatineau
Les Chemins de fer Québec-Gatineau , in English the Quebec Gatineau Railway is a shortline railway operating the long ex-Canadian Pacific Railway line between Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, Laval, Lachute and Gatineau, formerly Hull...
Line, will be in operation starting in 2010.