Boulevard Maisonneuve
Encyclopedia
Boulevard Maisonneuve is an important arterial in the heart of Downtown Gatineau
, Quebec
. It serves as connector route between the Portage Bridge
from Ottawa
to Quebec Autoroutes 5 and 50
as well as Boulevard Fournier
towards the Gatineau sector of the city, northern portions of the Hull
sector and the northern east suburbs. It also gives access to the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge
and the Alexandra Bridge
(via Boulevard des Allumettières formerly Boulevard Saint-Laurent).
was growing very rapidly and more commuters were driving from the suburbs towards downtown Hull. During the 1970s, several federal government offices buildings such as Place du Portage
, Place du Centre, the City Hall
and the Congress Centre were built in the downtown area of what was then the City of Hull
. In addition, numerous skyscrapers were built in downtown Ottawa increasing the amount of commuter traffic towards central Ottawa from both sides of the river.
The controversial decision was then made to demolish a long line of houses in order to make room for the new arterial boulevard, thus making commuter travel towards Ottawa much easier. At the same time the Portage Bridge
was built at the southern end of Maisonneuve towards Wellington Street
and the Ottawa River Parkway
in Ottawa.
towards Ottawa. South of Rue Laurier
it becomes the Portage Bridge
, part of the National Capital Region's Confederation Boulevard
. During rush hours, one lane is reserved for STO
and OC Transpo
buses, taxis and carpooling (with at least 3 people per vehicle). The speed limit is 50 km/h but traffic flow during off-peak hours is generally much faster.
have modernized the road between Highway 5 and Saint-Laurent. They have already made some significant landscape
changes on the road surface with wider sidewalk
s and numerous planters, new traffic light
s and new benches. At the same time, the City is replacing several older houses with new condominium
projects to give the road a much more modern look. The latest update was a project to construct new units at the corner of Boulevard des Allumettières. These will replace two or three very old units nearby. The City tries not to mix different types of units (which means not mixing early 20th century houses with more modern ones); however, this may be only a tactic to hide the poorer areas of the city, since the downtown area is considered to be the poorest in all of Gatineau. However, there are still numerous old structures in rough shape that are located along the eastern side of the route.
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....
. It serves as connector route between 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...
from 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...
to Quebec Autoroutes 5 and 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....
as well as Boulevard Fournier
Boulevard Fournier
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...
towards the Gatineau sector of the city, northern portions of the 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...
sector and the northern east suburbs. It also gives access to the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge
Macdonald-Cartier Bridge
The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge is a bridge connecting Ottawa, Ontario, to Gatineau, Quebec. The bridge is a 618 m long continuous steel box girder bridge and carries six lanes of traffic. It links King Edward Avenue and Sussex Drive in Ottawa with Autoroute 5 in Quebec...
and the Alexandra Bridge
Alexandra Bridge
The Royal Alexandra Interprovincial Bridge is a steel truss cantilever bridge spanning the Ottawa River between Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec. It is known locally as both the "Alexandra Bridge" and the "Interprovincial Bridge".-History:...
(via Boulevard des Allumettières formerly Boulevard Saint-Laurent).
History
The construction of this road was a source of controversy in the 1960s and 1970s. The entire area where Boulevard Maisonneuve is now located was a residential area with a large number of houses that were built early in the 20th century. At that time, there was an urgent need for a main road to be built because the Quebec side of the National Capital RegionNational Capital Region (Canada)
The National Capital Region, also referred to as Canada's Capital Region, is an official federal designation for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, the neighbouring city of Gatineau, Quebec, and surrounding urban and rural communities....
was growing very rapidly and more commuters were driving from the suburbs towards downtown Hull. During the 1970s, several federal government offices buildings such as Place du Portage
Place du Portage
right|thumb|250px|The Place du Portage complex facing the Ottawa River.Place du Portage is a large office complex in the Hull sector of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, situated along Boulevard Maisonneuve and facing the Ottawa River...
, Place du Centre, the City Hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
and the Congress Centre were built in the downtown area of what was then the 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...
. In addition, numerous skyscrapers were built in downtown Ottawa increasing the amount of commuter traffic towards central Ottawa from both sides of the river.
The controversial decision was then made to demolish a long line of houses in order to make room for the new arterial boulevard, thus making commuter travel towards Ottawa much easier. At the same time 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...
was built at the southern end of Maisonneuve towards Wellington Street
Wellington Street (Ottawa)
Wellington Street is an important street in Ottawa, Canada most notable for being one of the first two streets laid out in Bytown in 1826 Wellington Street (French: Rue Wellington) is an important street in Ottawa, Canada most notable for being one of the first two streets laid out in Bytown in...
and the Ottawa River Parkway
Ottawa River Parkway
The Ottawa River Parkway is a four-lane scenic parkway along the Ottawa River in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Carling Avenue near Connaught Avenue, to Booth Street at the Canadian War Museum. It is maintained by the National Capital Commission. The speed limit is , enforced by the Royal...
in Ottawa.
Current Boulevard
Boulevard Maisonneuve is a 6-lane road from Rue Laurier to Boulevard Sacre-Coeur where it splits with Boulevard Fournier and Autoroute 5Quebec 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...
towards Ottawa. South of Rue Laurier
Rue Laurier
Rue Laurier is a main street located in the heart of the City of Gatineau, Quebec. It starts at Rue Eddy and ends at Rue Dussault....
it becomes 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...
, part of the National Capital Region's Confederation Boulevard
Confederation Boulevard
Confederation Boulevard is a "ceremonial and discovery route" in Canada's National Capital Region, running through Parliament Hill and encompassing downtown areas in Ottawa and Gatineau. Some of Canada's most important institutions and landmarks lie along its route. During state visits,...
. During rush hours, one lane is reserved for STO
Société 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...
and OC Transpo
OC Transpo
OC Transpo is the urban transit service of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. An integrated hub-and-spoke system of services is available consisting of: regular buses travelling on fixed routes in mixed traffic, typical of most urban transit systems; a bus rapid transit system — a high...
buses, taxis and carpooling (with at least 3 people per vehicle). The speed limit is 50 km/h but traffic flow during off-peak hours is generally much faster.
Recent road and condominium projects
Today, the City of Gatineau along with the National Capital CommissionNational Capital Commission
The National Capital Commission , is a Canadian Crown corporation that administers the federally owned lands and buildings in Canada's National Capital Region, including Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec.The NCC was created in 1959, replacing the Federal District Commission , which had been...
have modernized the road between Highway 5 and Saint-Laurent. They have already made some significant landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
changes on the road surface with wider sidewalk
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
s and numerous planters, new traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
s and new benches. At the same time, the City is replacing several older houses with new condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
projects to give the road a much more modern look. The latest update was a project to construct new units at the corner of Boulevard des Allumettières. These will replace two or three very old units nearby. The City tries not to mix different types of units (which means not mixing early 20th century houses with more modern ones); however, this may be only a tactic to hide the poorer areas of the city, since the downtown area is considered to be the poorest in all of Gatineau. However, there are still numerous old structures in rough shape that are located along the eastern side of the route.