The opening of the Darche interchange was planned for the holiday season. The construction of this intersection between Highway 410 and King Street West, launched in August 2023, will be completed on November 22.
All that will remain is landscaping and installing lights. The project was carried out according to the schedule and budget estimated by the Ministry of Transport.
“I have to tell you that when I came here this morning, I was pinching myself […] Finally, we see the light at the end of the tunnel!”
— Évelyne Beaudin, mayor of Sherbrooke
“Today we are very proud to announce that we have respected the budget of 77 million dollars for this project which was the most important in the last two years in the entire Estrie territory,” rejoices the Minister Bonnardel at a press conference in Sherbrooke.
The Minister of Public Security and Minister responsible for the Estrie region, François Bonnardel, announced the opening of the Darche interchange in Sherbrooke. (Maxime Picard/La Tribune)
“I think we can take the Estrie regional management as an example,” he said.
“Today, we can say “mission accomplished!”” indicates the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, in a press release.
A first portion of the interchange will open on November 20 and the entire sector will be accessible two days later. “I want to highlight the extraordinary resilience of the population of Sherbrooke,” insists Évelyne Beaudin.
“Important” infrastructure
No less than 42,000 vehicles circulate on the interchange every day, recalled the minister. “It’s an interchange that is extremely important for the flow of motorists.” This is why more than 200 workers have been deployed to the site to avoid delays.
“We can really understand how central this infrastructure is in terms of mobility, when we think about people’s travel habits,” reiterates the mayor of Sherbrooke.
Évelyne Beaudin, mayor of Sherbrooke, insists on good communication with the Ministry of Transport since the start of the work in August 2023. (Maxime Picard/La Tribune)
Before the new development, pedestrians and bicycles had to cross no fewer than four motorway entrances or exits to cross from one end of the interchange to the other. “It was far from being something safe,” says Évelyne Beaudin, who made the trip several times.
A multi-purpose track was designed to facilitate sustainable transportation.
If Quebec had the responsibility to imagine the infrastructures on the interchange, the City of Sherbrooke made sure to structure the surroundings, particularly in terms of bus transfers and connectivity with J.-A. Bombardier, Comtois streets and Saved.
This is an investment of nearly five million dollars that Sherbrooke has deployed to redevelop the sector.
Other projects in mind
The architecture of the Darche interchange was also designed to facilitate the work necessary for future sustainable mobility additions, explains Évelyne Beaudin. “We’re going to take a break construction site for a long time,” she assures.
The puzzle of the Darche interchange is over and Évelyne Beaudin has her sights set on the “informal” path that connects the Magog axis to Industriel Boulevard near Léger Street. Snowmobiles used to use this passage which runs along Lyon Creek.
The City of Sherbrooke wishes to eventually “formalize” this passage which would allow an addition to the cycling and recreational tourism network, notes the mayor. “We were waiting for the work on the Darche interchange to be completed to see what we could do for this tunnel.”
