Many of the highways in Québec City were either built on top of historic local roads or they extended them. The Du Vallon Highway is an extension of a 17th-century road that would have crossed the lands of Thierry Delestre, known as Le Vallon. The Charest Highway was built to replace an old road named after Zéphirin Charest, a local priest in the 19th century.

1971 - 1974

Make way for asphalt!

Automobiles became the main means of transport in North American cities during the 1960s and 1970s. Québec City was no exception. In 1964, Highway 20 connected Québec City to Montréal and the rest of the country. In the 1970s, highways were built all around Québec City, converging at the city centre. Entire neighbourhoods were razed to make way for a web of asphalt that stretched across the city. Québec City lost some of its historic charm during this period. Do you have any memories to share?

Construction of the Charest and Du Vallon highways in the early 1970s

W. B. Edwards Inc. Many of the highways in Québec City were either built on top of historic local roads or they extended them. The Du Vallon Highway is an extension of a 17th-century road that would have crossed the lands of Thierry Delestre, known as Le Vallon. The Charest Highway was built to replace an old road named after Zéphirin Charest, a local priest in the 19th century.

Chronoscope Do you have any memories of this change in the Québec City landscape? (unilingual French for a limited time)

Depicted period: 1973

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