For Jaïk Cloutier, a young firefighter in Wentworth-Nord, an urgent emergency call does not indicate speeding. Instead, it means a cautious crawl. To protect the heavy equipment on his fire truck, Cloutier says he must stay alert, hug the yellow line and keep his speed below 30 km/h.
This leisurely-motion response is the reality of navigating a provincial road that has earned a spot on CAA Québec’s 2025 list of the 10 worst arteries in Quebec. In the Laurentians, the crumbling state of the asphalt has moved beyond a mere inconvenience for drivers; it has become a critical safety risk for 1,700 residents and thousands of seasonal visitors.
The severity of the decay has prompted local leaders to consider a radical shift in infrastructure strategy. Facing a systemic lack of funding from the province, some officials are now asking if the solution to the nid-de-poule (pothole) crisis is a return to gravel roads for certain regional sectors.
A Budgetary Deadlock and the ‘Gravel’ Alternative
Mayor Karine Dostie of Wentworth-Nord says the municipality has been sounding the alarm since approximately 2018. Through political resolutions and meetings with deputies, the town has sought intervention, only to be told that their needs are not prioritized due to a lack of global funding from the ministry.
Dostie warns that the current trajectory is unsustainable, fearing that it may take a tragedy to trigger a meaningful provincial response. “I think we’re going to secure to… Emergency mode of action before taking the necessary means to correct the situation,” she said.
As of this deadlock, Dostie is open to alternative surfacing. She suggests that Quebec should evaluate whether certain roads, based on the specific topography of the territory, would be better served by gravel rather than asphalt. For municipal stretches, her team is currently weighing both options, noting that gravel roads are often easier to maintain using a grader.
This perspective is shared by Sophie Larivière-Mantha, president of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. She highlights a significant financial incentive for the shift: gravel roads can cost as little as one-third of the price of asphalt. Given that public funds are finite, Larivière-Mantha argues that these alternatives must be seriously considered.
The $13.4 Billion Maintenance Deficit
The crisis in Wentworth-Nord is a microcosm of a broader provincial failure. According to the recent Plan québécois des infrastructures (PQI), nearly 50% of the roads managed by the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD) are classified as being in poor or very poor condition.
The financial gap is widening. The deficit in asset maintenance (DMA) for roadways has reached 13.4 billion dollars, nearly double the deficit recorded in 2017, just before the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) took power.
Marc-André Martin, president of the Association professionnelle des ingénieurs du gouvernement du Québec, believes the official numbers may actually understate the crisis. He suggests the degradation could be twice as severe as the ministry’s forecasts, stating that the CAQ government has “completely dropped the ball” on the road network.
Larivière-Mantha likens the current strategy to renovating a kitchen while the roof is leaking. She argues that the province must pause the construction of new roads to prioritize the repair of existing ones, calling for a fundamental shift in Quebec’s infrastructure culture.
Roads at the ‘End of Life’
The Laurentides-Lanaudière region is among the hardest hit by this decay. In Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson, Mayor Pierre Richard—elected in 2025—reports experiencing six flat tires in just three years while driving on Route 370.
Richard describes Route 370 as a road at the “end of its life.” It was resurfaced between 2009 and 2010 using recycled pavement, a method with an expected lifespan of 10 to 15 years. Now reaching 16 or 17 years of age, the surface is failing, creating hazardous conditions for all users.
| Metric | Status / Value |
|---|---|
| Roads in poor/very poor condition (MTMD) | ~50% |
| Asset Maintenance Deficit (DMA) | $13.4 Billion |
| Roads past expected lifespan (VGQ 2023) | > 31% |
| Est. Time to restore all roadways | > 25 Years |
A 2023 report from the Vérificateur général du Québec (VGQ) confirmed this systemic collapse, estimating that over 31% of paved roads have reached the end of their useful life. The report noted that at the current pace of reconstruction by the MTMD, it will take more than 25 years to restore these roadways to a proper state.
In response to these pressures, Transport Minister Jonatan Julien recently announced an allocation of 750 million dollars per year for the next two years to improve roadway conditions. However, critics note that these sums are consistent with the averages of previous years, leaving many to wonder if they are sufficient to stem the tide of decay.
The immediate future of Quebec’s regional roads depends on whether the province chooses to maintain the status quo of costly, failing asphalt or embraces the pragmatic, if less modern, return to gravel. The next critical checkpoint will be the implementation of Minister Julien’s 750-million-dollar annual plan and whether those funds result in visible improvements in the Laurentians over the coming two years.
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