In today’s interview column, a night flight above the intersection of the Félix-Leclerc highway (40) and Robert-Bourassa boulevard (740), in Quebec, three winters ago. Readers with a keen eye will recognize at the bottom left of the image the Bâton Rouge grill restaurant, located near the Les Galeries de la Capitale shopping center.
“Sometimes, I believe that certain sections of highways seen from the sky can almost display a semblance of art!”
— Pierre Lahoud, historian
“When you drive over it, you would never believe that these ramps and highway exits would give such a design, nor reveal such beautiful shapes from the air,” says the historian, author and photographer. These routes are almost all the same, but the plane allows us to see different and frankly more beautiful perspectives than from the ground.
Is it really the road architecture that gives the beauty of this photo or rather the nocturnal softness of the urban illumination?
“It’s true that it’s a lot more beautiful in the evening than during the day! [Rires] Lighting and streetlights make all the difference, admits Mr. Lahoud. Basically, they’re like huge Christmas decorations!”
Roads, names and a river
You may have known: the names and numbers of Quebec highways are not left to chance.
The rules of toponymy dictate that a highway parallel to the St. Lawrence River will have an even number. If it is perpendicular to the river, it will rather be given an odd number.
What’s more, these numbers increase from west to east, then from south to north. Thus, Highway 20 (the Trans-Canada Highway) is actually further south than Highway 40, named Félix-Leclerc in 1997 in homage to the famous singer.
Comments collected by Francis Higgins
Info: pierrelahoud.com
In your opinion, what is the most beautiful road in Quebec? For fun, share your preferences in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
