Autoroute 25 (A25) toll road and bridge network
Location: Rivière des Prairies, Québec
Status: Operational
Provincial/Federal/Municipal: Provincial
Value of Partnership: $570 million (total financing)
Type of P3: DBFOM
Date of Financial Close: September 2007
Date of Substantial Completion: 2011
Handback: 2042
The Autoroute 25 project delivered a new tolled highway corridor linking Montréal and Laval, creating a continuous north–south connection across the Rivière des Prairies. It marked Québec’s first transportation public-private partnership and introduced the province’s first electronic toll road.
The 7.2-kilometre highway runs between Henri-Bourassa Boulevard in Montréal and the Autoroute 440/A-25 interchange in Laval. The new A25 Bridge opened in May 2011, two months ahead of schedule. The customer service center, situated on the Laval side, opened in February 2011.
The infrastructure includes a four-lane divided highway, multiple interchanges and overpasses, and a 1.2-kilometre six-lane bridge spanning the river. The bridge incorporates a multifunctional path for pedestrians and cyclists, while the corridor features a dedicated bus-only lane along most of its length.
The A25 Bridge was the first cable-stayed bridge to be constructed in the province in more than 40 years. The bridge design was complicated by preserving an environmentally sensitive fish habitat, restrictions on the tower height and the proximity of high-voltage power lines.
The project, which started construction in 2007, was completed two years earlier than would have been possible using a conventional public-sector approach to highway construction.
By establishing a direct physical connection between Montréal and Laval, the corridor reshaped travel patterns across the northeast of the metropolitan region. Previously, in order to move between the two urban centres motorists had to either take a seven-kilometre detour via the Pie-IX Bridge or an 11-kilometre detour via the Charles-De-Gaulle Bridge. As a result of this inefficiency drivers experienced longer travel times, and there was an overall decline in the quality of life for residents in Montreal-North, Anjou and Rivière des Prairies.
The link also reduced pressure on existing river crossings, shortened travel distances for freight traffic and improved network resilience during peak periods. The project also strengthened economic integration between the two cities and provided a modern, multimodal crossing that balances road capacity, transit use and active transportation.
The operations and maintenance portion of the 35-year P3 partnership agreement is performance-based with deductions to the private sector for failure to maximize traffic lane availability, particularly during rush hour, and for failure to meet performance and safety requirements including driving comfort, towing and lighting.
A “gradual toll increase system” provides for minimum revenue protection for the private partner and upside sharing of toll revenue between the private partner and government if toll revenues are 20 per cent higher than revenue projections made by the Quebec Ministry of Transportation’s traffic and revenue advisor.
Partners:
Public: Government of Québec (Ministère des Transports et de la mobilité durable)
Private: Concession A25 L.P. (Macquarie Infrastructure Partners*, Macquarie North America Ltd., Société Générale, Kiewit Canada Development Corp., Miller Paving Limited, Parsons Corporation, TransCore LP, Genivar Inc. (acquired by WSP Group in 2014), Ciment St-Laurent Inc.)
*In March 2018, Transurban reached agreement with Macquarie Infrastructure Partners to acquire 100 per cent of the equity interests in the A25. In February 2023, CDPQ announced it had reached an agreement with Transurban for the acquisition of a 50 per cent interest in the A25 Concession, valued at $355 million.
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