CTA says LCVs should be able to run Windsor to Halifax by mid-November as last A-85 gap closes
The final 1.6 km of the Autoroute 85 extension in Quebec is the last missing piece of a four-lane divided route for turnpike doubles between Ontario and Nova Scotia.
Long combination vehicles should soon be able to run a continuous four-lane divided highway from Windsor, Ontario, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance.
In a Nov. 6 update, CTA said information from government officials, industry partners and media outlets confirms that seamless interprovincial LCV operations connecting Ontario and Quebec directly to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are expected to open in mid-November 2026. The opening depends on the completion of a final 1.6 km section of the Autoroute 85 extension in Quebec.
Why one short section matters
Autoroute 85 links the Autoroute 20 corridor near Rivière-du-Loup with the New Brunswick border, where it continues as Route 2 of the Trans-Canada. Until the divided highway is finished end to end, the remaining gap has stood in the way of a single multi-lane LCV route between central and Atlantic Canada.
CTA said the opening will allow LCV movements between points from Windsor to Halifax on a continuous four-lane divided network. The alliance flagged Highway 85/185 as an interprovincial trade barrier in both its 2023 and 2025 reports on barriers to trade between provinces. The Ontario Trucking Association shared the same expected timeline with its members earlier this month.
No exact opening date has been announced. Carriers planning LCV runs to the Maritimes should confirm the status of the corridor with Quebec's transport ministry before dispatching.
Permits still apply in each province
The new road does not create a single permit. Running an LCV in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick or Nova Scotia still requires each province's own special permit.
The four provinces have harmonized much of that work. Under a 2016 memorandum of understanding, officials and trucking industry representatives in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia agreed on common permit conditions for turnpike double LCV configurations on multi-lane highways in the region. The MOU and related documents are posted by the Task Force on Vehicle Weights and Dimensions Policy.
CTA's notice is on its website.