Quebec Route 117

Infobox road
province=QC
type=QC
route=117
maint=


established=
decommissioned=
length_km = 711
direction_a=South
direction_b=North
terminus_b= jct|state=ON|ON|66 near Kearns, Ont
previous_type=QC
previous_route=116
next_type=QC
next_route=122
terminus_a= jct|state=QC|A|15|A|40 in Montreal
cities=Sainte-Thérèse, Blainville, Saint-Jérôme, Prévost, Mont-Tremblant, Val-d'Or, Malartic, Rouyn-Noranda
junction= jct|state=QC|A|440|QC|148 in Laval
jct|state=QC|A|15 in Sainte-Rose (Laval)
jct|state=QC|A|640|QC|344 in Rosemere
jct|state=QC|A|50 near Blainville
jct|state=QC|QC|158|QC|333 in Saint-Jérôme
jct|state=QC|A|15|QC|370 in Sainte-Adele
jct|state=QC|A|15 in Val-Morin
jct|state=QC|A|15|QC|329 in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts
jct|state=QC|QC|323|QC|327 in Mont-Tremblant
jct|state=QC|QC|321 in Rivière-Rouge
jct|state=QC|QC|311 in Beaux-Rivages
jct|state=QC|QC|309 in Mont-Laurier
jct|state=QC|QC|107 near Val-Limoges
jct|state=QC|QC|105 in Grand-Remous
jct|state=QC|QC|113 east of Val-d'Or
jct|state=QC|QC|111|QC|397 in Val-d'Or
jct|state=QC|QC|109 in Rivière-Heva
jct|state=QC|QC|395 in Cadillac
jct|state=QC|QC|101|QC|391 in Rouyn-Noranda

Route 117 is a provincial highway within the Canadian province of Quebec, running between Montreal and the Quebec/Ontario border where it continues as Highway 66 east of Kearns, Ontario. It is an important road as it is the only direct route between southern Quebec and the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.

Route 117 was formerly Route 11 and ran from Montreal north towards Mont Laurier, then followed the Gatineau River south towards Gatineau. This routing is joined with Autoroute 15 from Montreal northwards Mont Tremblant. Route 117 also takes in the former Quebec Routes 58 and 59.

Along with Autoroute 15 to Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, it is also listed as a branch of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Description and towns along Route 117

This description of Route 117 follows it from the south-east to north-west direction.

Route 117 starts in Montreal at the Decarie Interchange where Autoroute 40 and Autoroute 15 (Decarie Expressway) meet. Montrealers sometimes unofficially extend Route 117 south along the portion of Decarie Boulevard that runs parallel to the Decarie Expressway. The natural terminal for a southward extension is the Atwater Market - after following St. Jacques Boulevard to Atwater Avenue and south on Atwater.

and Sainte-Rose as Boulevard Curé-Labelle.

At the Rivière des Mille Îles, it crosses over the Dufresne Bridge to the "North Shore" (of the Rivière des Mille Îles). From here Route 117 runs parallel to Autoroute 15 until Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, going through the Laurentian mountains. Towns along the route in this section include:
*Sainte-Thérèse
*Blainville
* Saint-Antoine
*Saint-Jérôme
* Lafontaine
*Prévost
*Piedmont
*Sainte-Adèle
*Val-David
*Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts

After Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Route 117 becomes a four-lane divided highway winding its way through Laurentides Regional County Municipality until it reaches the town of Labelle. From this point on to the Ontario border, Route 117 is a standard 2-lane highway. In Grand-Remous, Route 117 crosses the Gatineau River and intersects with Route 105 which goes south-west to Maniwaki and Gatineau. Towns along the route in this section include:
* Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carré
*Mont-Tremblant (going through the area which, until the merger in 2000, formed the village and parish of Saint-Jovite, Quebec).
* La Conception
* Labelle
* L'Annonciation
* Sainte-Véronique
* Lac-Saguay
* Lac-des-Écorces
*Mont-Laurier
* Saint-Jean-sur-le-Lac
* Lac-Gatineau
* Grand-Remous

From Grand-Remous, the route heads north, travelling some 220 km through undeveloped wilderness, most of it part of La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve. While the reserve is popular for a variety of outdoor activities, services along the road are sparse. This section is often considered as one of the most dangerous routes in the province due to numerous fatal accidents, some involving tractor-trailers. During the winter, the route is often extremely slippery, even during dry and clear days. The few communities along this section are:
* Le Domaine
* Dorval-Lodge
* Louvicourt

After the intersection with Route 113 (which continues north to Lebel-sur-Quévillon), Route 117 heads west to Ontario where it becomes Highway 66. The section between Rouyn-Noranda and Arntfield runs concurrent with Route 101. Towns along the route in this section include:
*Val-d'Or
* Dubuisson
*Malartic
* Rivière-Héva
* Cadillac
* McWatters
*Rouyn-Noranda
* Évain
* Arntfield

ee also

*List of Quebec provincial highways
*Golden Highway (Ontario)

References

* [http://www.inforoutiere.qc.ca/fr/carte_routiere/index.asp Provincial Route Map (Courtesy of the Quebec Ministry of Transportation)] fr icon
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Boulevard+Marcel-Laurin+%4045.503388,+-73.670363&daddr=48.113047,-77.803802+to:Boulevard+Rideau%2FRoute+Transcanadienne%2FRTE-117+%4048.249900,+-79.053240+to:Route+Transcanadienne%2FRTE-117+%4048.147596,+-79.516203&hl=en&geocode=8002712797782990351,45.503388,-73.670363%3B15925868696407552455,48.249900,-79.053240%3B7840875095033136783,48.147596,-79.516203&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=13&via=1,2&dirflg=h&sll=48.101356,-77.798309&sspn=0.052733,0.154495&ie=UTF8&ll=46.950262,-76.981201&spn=3.449906,9.887695&z=7 Route 117] on Google Maps