Quebec is preparing to invest more than $10 million to rebuild an obsolete rest stop located less than 4 kilometers from a large, brand new private rest stop on Highway 20. Its promoter calls it a “waste” of public funds and to unfair competition.
Since its inauguration in 2018, nearly $15 million has been invested in the private rest stop La Porte de l’Érable, accessible via exit 228, halfway between Quebec and Montreal.
In addition to a gas store, there are two fast food restaurants, a large dining room, around forty Tesla fast charging stations and services for truckers.
When Samuel Baril embarked on this adventure with his partners, five years ago, it was in particular to fill “an obvious lack of services on highway” 20, in Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, near Princeville and Plessisville. It was also without knowing that Quebec would renovate at great expense the Sainte-Anne-du-Sault east rest stop, located only a few minutes’ drive away.
- Listen to the interview with Samuel Baril, promoter of the La Porte de l’Érable rest stop with Mario Dumont on QUB:
Outdated public stop
The new public rest stop project, at kilometer 224 of Highway 20, includes the demolition of the current old “brown cabin”, the construction of a new building with a dining room, the addition of fast charging stations and the development of safer parking.
The current public rest stop in Sainte-Anne-du-Sault, located at exit 223 of Highway 20. Built in the 1970s, this outdated “brown cabin” will be razed to make way for the new building illustrated on the sign, in the foreground.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, ANDRÉANNE LEMIRE
The place has often made the headlines because of the pitiful state of the building dating from the 1970s found there… and the sexual activities which have already forced the MTQ to restrict access to the wooded area behind with concrete blocks.
In 2009, The newspaper notably reported that even the well to supply the toilets with water was lacking, forcing the installation of chemical toilets outside.
Mr. Baril knows well that the public rest stop in Sainte-Anne-du-Sault has lacked love for a long time. However, he is surprised to see that Quebec is preparing to invest in public funds as much or more than what the private sector spent on its stop, only 4 kilometers further.
“As a commercial entrepreneur, obviously, I worry, among other things, about commercial competition,” admitted Mr. Baril, in an interview with The newspaper.
Splitting
“Why not make sure to meet a need for security that certainly exists elsewhere,” asks the businessman, who fears a duplication of the offer once the public rest area is renovated.
He believes that the government could have decided to condemn the Sainte-Anne-du-Sault east stop, as it recently did for the Villeroy east stop.
The Ministry of Transport, for its part, claims that it is one of the “busiest rest stops in Quebec”.
“Its geographical location is optimal,” argued the ministry’s spokesperson, Nicolas Vigneault.
“The rest stop modernization project does not add any commercial offering to the existing rest stop,” added the MTQ spokesperson.
The future public rest stop in Sainte-Anne-du-Sault, located at exit 223 of Highway 20, which will replace the current old “brown cabin”, built in the 1970s.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, ANDRÉANNE LEMIRE
“Direct competition”
A fairly summary evaluation report on the impacts and benefits of the modernization of the Sainte-Anne-du-Sault rest area submitted to the MTQ in 2020 nevertheless deals with “direct competition” with the private rest area, particularly in terms of relates to the offer of charging stations and vending machines.
“Users wishing for a snack-type refreshment could indeed choose to stop at the Halte [publique] whereas before modernization, they would have stopped at the convenience store on the private site,” we can read.
The reconstruction of the Sainte-Anne-du-Sault stop, which could be renamed Daveluyville stop, is part of a vast $150 million modernization plan announced in 2022 for several infrastructures of the same type (see table). The new Villeroy West stop, inaugurated in 2020, cost $12.8 million.
Examples of road parks that will be rebuilt:
Sainte-Anne-du-Sault (Centre-du-Québec)
– Deforestation work carried out
– Public call for tenders in progress (opening of tenders on April 3, 2024)
– Start of work planned for spring 2024 for approximately 18 months
– Construction costs estimated at $10 million (2021)
La Durantaye (Chaudière-Appalaches)
– Start of work planned for 2025
– Construction costs estimated between $11 and $14 million
Sainte-Madeleine (Montérégie)
– Start of work planned for 2026
– Construction costs estimated between $18 and $24 million
Des Hurons (Montérégie)
– Start of work planned for 2026
– Construction costs estimated between $18 and $24 million
Kamouraska (Bas-Saint-Laurent)
– Start of work planned for 2026
Des Monadnocks (Bas-Saint-Laurent)
– Start of work planned for 2026