Le Grand Voyer | The Chief Road Officer

The grand voyer, or chief road officer, was a public officer appointed by the Intendant. He was responsible for the layout, construction, development and maintenance of the roads and bridges, as well as the establishment of building lines in the towns. The grand voyer saw to the transport needs of the inhabitants and had them perform the required work based on his instructions via a corvée (forced labour); the inhabitants subsequently saw to the maintenance of their roads.

The first roads of the colony were grève trails, located at least 12 metres from the highest tides (grève is a grounding space by the sea or a river made of sand and gravel or pebbles). The first main road, which ran from Cap-Rouge to the cap Tourmente, was opened in the 1660s. It was during this time that the position of grand voyer was established, necessary for the construction of the Chemin du roi, or the King’s road. This road encompassed the initial Cap-Rouge to cap Tourmente section, and eventually went all the way to Montreal along the St. Lawrence. At the time of its completion in 1737, the Chemin du roi was the longest finished road north of the Rio Grande. A trip from Québec to Montréal could be made in four days.