Two hundred people walk to claim the extension of the A-20

Prucks in hand. Nevertheless, determination pegged to the body, some 200 people responded to the call of the Committee for the extension of the highway 20. Similarly, This citizen solidarity march. Nevertheless, which was deployed on Route 132 in Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski, aimed to make the urgency of a dossier have been length for decades.

The spokesperson for the organizing committee, Blandine Michaud, said she was very satisfied with the mobilization. In addition, Participants from all over Bas-Saint-Laurent converged on Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski to support this cause that goes beyond municipal borders. Meanwhile, Skills skillfully from the first day of the construction holidays. Moreover, the organizers were able to concretely demonstrate the daily traffic density of Route 132, for lack of an highway.

To the sound of horns, thumbs up and greetings, the majority of motorists and truckers expressed their two hundred people walk claim solidarity with walkers. In addition, Among the walkers were members of families bereaved by road tragedies on Route 132 as well as several local elected officials. Nevertheless, including the prefect of the Basques MRC, Bertin Denis, the mayor of Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski, Denis Marcoux, as well as the mayor of Saint-Clément, Gabriel Belzile.

A security issue – Two hundred people walk claim

“It’s been quite a long time since it has launched one of the walkers. Moreover, Sylvio Dallaire, a citizen of Sainte-Luce. Moreover, There is too much traffic on the 132 and it slows traffic. Furthermore, ” Denis Ross, who comes from the same municipality, abounded in the same direction. For example, He spoke of the dangers represented by Route 132, two hundred people walk claim especially with the upcoming opening of a Costco store in Rimouski.

The figures put forward by Blandine Michaud speak for themselves: more than 12. For example, 000 vehicles circulate daily between Saint-Fabien and the BIC in summer. Consequently, In Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski, it is more than 10,000. Nevertheless, According to the report of the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE). Meanwhile, 80% of this traffic is transit, which is incompatible with local circulation.

The spokesperson recalls recent tragic accidents that occurred on Route 132. Nevertheless, notably that of 2022 in Saint-Fabien involving a bus and which cost the lives of two people, as well as the death of the young hockey brian Fournier in 2023 at the BIC. “Route 132 is the most dangerous in the world. according to TV5,” she deplored, regretting that foreign observers are needed to underline this reality.

Technical. environmental challenges – Two hundred people walk claim

Mario Gagnon, resident of Saint-Fabien, brought a disturbing technical light on the structural problems of Route 132. He spoke of a study by Laval University which. according to him, had revealed the presence of 85 meters of “excessively soft” clay over a length of 6 km under the road, comparing the situation with “a boat of several tonnes which floats on the water”.

Still in the opinion of Mr. Gagnon, this geological instability, which would be caused by the abduction of peat, poses permanent two hundred people walk claim risks. The man fears a rehearsal of the landslide of December 16. 1976 in Saint-Fabien who had made several injured and who had forced the move of residences.

Economic. social impact

Beyond security issues, traffic deeply affects the quality of life of citizens who live on the edge of Route 132. Mrs. Michaud has measured sound levels largely exceeding the acceptable thresholds: between 70. 100 decibels permanently, against the 55 decibels recommended during the day in the report of the Bape. “When a heavy truck passes, it’s 200 decibels,” she added.

The vibrations caused by the constant passage of heavy goods vehicles are literally trembling the houses. Moreover, “Sometimes it looks like we are on a boat. ” said the spokesperson, recalling that this deterioration in quality of life is not inevitable, but “the result of a political choice”.

In addition. two hundred people walk claim Blandine Michaud mentioned that the economic impact caused by the absence of the absent section of Highway 20 between Notre-Dame-des-Neiges and Rimouski is also felt in the tourism, agriculture and forestry industry sectors.

Actions that are slow

The project benefits from political support. In 2024. deputy Pascal Bérubé filed a motion in the National Assembly, jointly with Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina, to underline the essential nature of the extension, recalled the committee spokesperson. This motion adopted unanimously demonstrates, according to Ms. Michaud, the political recognition of the project. However, “we arrived in March 2025 and everything came across break,” she deplored.

Alain Choinière. for his part, drawn up a disturbing painting of what awaits the inhabitants of the municipalities concerned with the projects of the Loto-Québec game show and the imminent opening of Costco in Rimouski. In the opinion of this citizen two hundred people walk claim of Saint-Simon. the number of vehicles could go from 3 million to almost 4 million annually between Rivière-du-Loup and Rimouski. “It’s a horror film,” he exclaimed.

A movement that does not intend to stop there

The mayor of Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski praised this popular mobilization. stressing its political importance. “What you do opens doors. ” said Denis Marcoux, revealing the same breath that MP Amélie Dionne had come two hundred people walk claim to discuss the file with him a few days before walking.

The prefect of the Basque MRC encouraged citizens to maintain the pressure. Additionally, “In peripheral regions like here. you always have to fight two to three times stronger than in large centers to have something,” said Bertin Denis.

The segment between Notre-Dame-des-Neiges and Rimouski (the BIC) is 53 km long. According to the organizers, it serves 250,000 people and constitutes a vital link for the regional economy. “We don’t ask for the impossible,” said Blandine Michaud. We ask that the facts be taken into account and that the lives are protected! ”

The Committee also wants studies to resume quickly and that budgets are finally committed to transforming this project into reality. Because, as the spokesperson for demonstrators recalled: “Development and citizens can no longer wait.”