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This review covers Autoroute 73 from the A-20 junction north to its terminus near Stoneham. Autoroute 73 crosses the St. Lawrence River over the Pierre Laporte Bridge. Built in 1970, the six-lane suspension bridge (the longest in Canada with a 2,190-foot-long main span) parallels the historic Quebec Bridge. The world's longest cantilever span, the Quebec Bridge (built in 1917) has a tragic history of its own. The newer span was built to alleviate congestion on the old Quebec Bridge, but now both bridges suffer from congestion.
Just north of the Pierre Laporte Bridge in Sainte-Foy, A-40 joins A-73. There is a 6% grade just north of this interchange. At the junction of A-573, look for "ghost ramps" for the unbuilt section of A-40 that was to traverse Quebec / Jean Lesage International Airport. A-73 and A-40 make a right-angle turn onto the Capital Autoroute, a northerly bypass of downtown Quebec City. A-73 leaves A-40 and continues north. The last few miles of A-73, which were built during the mid-1990's, are of an unsafe "super-2" design.
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