After fatal collisions, Quebec faces calls to fix ‘highway of hell’

A fatal crash in the Laurentians last week is renewing pressure on Quebec to speed up safety improvements along Highway 50.

According to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), 28-year-old Joey Raymond died on Dec. 10 after his car collided head-on with a truck near Mirabel. While police say weather may have been a factor in the crash, those who knew Raymond say the design of the highway itself remains a major concern.

“Highway 50 has been known for years to be dangerous,” said Cynthia Durocher, a friend of Raymond. She calls it the “highway of death,” and avoids taking that road.

Highway 50 stretches nearly 160 kilometres and is used by up to 100,000 drivers every day, according to provincial data.

Some parts of the highway have only a single lane in each direction and no physical barrier separating oncoming traffic.

Between 2015 and October 2024, Quebec’s Ministry of Transport recorded 29 fatal accidents and 33 crashes causing serious injuries along the highway, between the municipalities of L’Ange-Gardien and Mirabel where there are contiguous lanes.

André Durocher of CAA-Québec says improving safety on Highway 50 will require a mix of enforcement, education and engineering.

“In the case of Highway 50, something clearly needs to be done,” he said.

• One dead and two injured in collision on Highway 50 near Mirabel
• Heavy truck crashes into car and forces closure of Highway 50 at Mirabel, Que.
• Head-on collision involving a heavy truck leaves one person dead on Hwy. 50

The CAQ government is in the process of redeveloping sections of the highway, including doubling lanes in certain areas and installing median barriers. Some work has already been completed, but large portions of the project remain unfinished.

Lachute Mayor Bernard Bigras-Denis says progress is slow.

“These investments have either been postponed or will take far too long,” he said, calling on the province to implement immediate measures, such as lowering speed limits, a ban on passing on the highway and an increase of police presence.

Bigras-Denis added that recent calls to the province have largely gone unanswered. “We feel like we’re being neglected by the government’s priorities.”

In a statement to CTV News, Quebec’s transport ministry says it is listening to the concerns raised by affected municipalities and plans to move forward with construction. A new median barrier is scheduled to be installed west of Lachute by the end of 2026.

As for the section of Highway 50 where Raymond was killed, the ministry says the area is currently under review and any changes will depend on the outcome of that assessment.