Quebec Highway 389 - Guard Rails 1

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There is a three KM (1¾ mile) stretch of road on Highway 389. If you were driving towards Fermont, on the left side there is an elevated railroad bed about 15 feet (4.5 meter) tall with the potential for rocks to roll down into the highway. To the right is an embankment with a 25 foot (7½ meter) drop to water, rocks, or trees. In between these two is a very narrow so-called two-way highway. My concerns? Meeting an 18-wheeler or having a train derail above, and roll down the embankment and over the van.

This big culvert is between Fire Lake and Gagnon; again, you will notice that there are no guard rails. Labrador and New Quebec are often referred to as the Big Land. During construction of the roads, it was inevitable that some of these byways would have to pass over rivers. With extreme run-off during spring, caused by the ice and snow accumulated during the winter, large amounts of water flow through these rivers. Although most of the spring run off is completed, the water level in these culverts is still half way up the sides. To circumvent these engineering problems, huge culverts, approximately 15 - 18 feet (4½ to 5½ meters) tall had to be trucked to the area from their manufacturer.

Areas where you'd typically find guard rails are noticeably bereft of such safety features.