Quebec Route 389

Infobox road
province=QC
type=QC
route=389
maint=


established=
decommissioned=
alternate_name=
length_km=570
length_round=
length_ref=
direction_a=North
direction_b=South
terminus_a=Quebec/Newfoundland and Labrador border north of Fermont
terminus_b=
previous_type=QC
previous_route=388
next_type=QC
next_route=390
cities = Baie-Comeau, Fermont
junction=Quebec's Route 389 connects Route 138 adjacent to Baie-Comeau with the Newfoundland and Labrador border, connecting with the Trans-Labrador Highway (Newfoundland and Labrador provincial highway 500) to Wabush and Labrador City, and beyond to Goose Bay. On its way it skirts the eastern shore of Manicouagan Reservoir.

The Quebec North Shore company and Hydro-Québec completed portions from Route 138 to the Manic 5 hydroelectric project site (Km 212), now known as the Daniel Johnson dam.

From Km 212, the highway follows a path traditionally used by aboriginal people and explorers, with access to the Hart Jaune Hydroelectric Complex at Km 390. The town of Gagnon, now torn down, was at Km 394.

Starting at Km 482, the "Fire Lake Mine Road" section was built by unemployed workers during a labour dispute, influenced by the presence of the railway owned by the Quebec-Cartier Mining Company. This section of road is notoriously known as "the trail."

From Km 482 to Km 570 (354 miles from Baie Comeau), the provincial border, the road is an accident-prone section notorious for its poor surface and sharp curves (the joke being you can see your own taillights). Local citizens in adjacent Labrador are urging realignment of this road, a vital work if it were to be the routing to a fixed link to Newfoundland.

Bridge over the Pékans River (around Km 550) is popular starting point for the canoe trips down the Moisie Rivercite web | first = Lester | last = Kovac | url = http://www.geocities.com/lester_kovac/moisie.htm | title = Lower Pékans/Lower Moisie 2006] .

At Km 562 is the town of Fermont, a mining town with a population of 2,918, and last Quebec port-of-call before entering Newfoundland and Labrador. Labrador City is 23 km further along what is now Highway 500, Wabush is 5 km east of that. The Happy Valley/Goose Bay ferry terminal is located 526 km east of Wabush, along the shores of Lake Melville, with access to the Atlantic Ocean. The Labrador City/Fermont area border crossing is roughly the half-way point of the approximately 16 hour drive between the junction of Routes 138 & 389 in Baie-Comeau (QC) and the end of Route 500 (and adjunct Route 520) in Happy Valley/Goose Bay (NL).

Towns along Route 389

* Baie-Comeau
* Manicouagan
* Fermont

References

ee also

* List of Quebec provincial highways

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=RTE-389+%4049.228470,+-68.191668&daddr=52.883634,-67.077026&hl=en&geocode=10989062095522039137,49.228470,-68.191668&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=11&dirflg=h&sll=52.888606,-67.009048&sspn=0.190578,0.617981&ie=UTF8&ll=51.399206,-67.016602&spn=6.307725,19.775391&z=6 Route 389] on Google Maps