Achi news desk-
A woman died in a car accident on April 27 on Interstate 50, a stretch of road considered deadly by many locals.
Sophie Chenier’s family is the latest to beg the government to act and improve safety on the road between Gatineau and Miraval.
“It’s called the highway of death,” said her brother Martin Chenier, from the nearby town of Lachote.
He said his sister was a cheerful person who always brought happiness to the family.
“She loved to bring joy to the family,” he said.
About 60 percent of the highway has only one lane in each direction, and after years of local residents and politicians calling for the highway to be widened, the county launched a multimillion-dollar project to add two more lanes along 96 of the 158-mile road.
However, it will not be completed until 2032.
What hurt most about the loss, Martin said, was that he felt it could have been prevented.
The other driver, a 35-year-old man, was arrested for impaired driving and Martin said he couldn’t believe it was still happening in 2024.
“There are so many alternatives today, from taxis to Ubers,” he said.
Although he regrets the role the driver played in his sister’s death, Martin said it is the lack of action by the Quebec Ministry of Transport that he is most frustrated with.
“There is nothing to prevent collisions,” he said. “No concrete blocks, no cables to prevent vehicles from crossing the center line.”
Since December alone, four more people have lost their lives on the same stretch of highway.
Between 2020 and 2022, the Department of Transportation recorded 14 deaths.
Martin Charnier and his family have one clear message for the county: “Act before someone else dies.”
