Mile 134 Airport

Economic reasons and obsolescence. The airport was a remote gravel airstrip built for a specific purpose: to support the construction and maintenance of the Quebec North Shore and Labrador (QNS&L) Railway and associated infrastructure in the mid-20th century. Once the railway and the parallel Quebec Route 389 were fully operational, the need for a dedicated airstrip at this location diminished. The high cost of maintenance for very limited or non-existent traffic made it economically unviable, leading to its abandonment.

The site is completely abandoned and defunct. Satellite imagery of the coordinates confirms the existence of a single, unmaintained gravel runway. The runway is still clearly visible from the air but is overgrown with vegetation and is slowly being reclaimed by the surrounding boreal forest. There are no remaining buildings, hangars, or any other infrastructure on the site. It is not used for any purpose.

Mile 134 Airport was a utilitarian airstrip whose significance is tied directly to the massive post-war industrial development of Quebec's Côte-Nord region. Its name refers to its location at mile marker 134 on the QNS&L Railway line, which runs from Sept-Îles to Schefferville. During the railway's construction in the 1950s, such airstrips were critical for logistical support, enabling the transport of personnel, emergency supplies, and equipment to remote construction camps in an otherwise inaccessible wilderness. It primarily handled small bush planes and other STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft essential to the project's success.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Mile 134 Airport. Its original purpose is obsolete, and the area is adequately served by the adjacent road and railway for any current maintenance or access needs. Reopening the airstrip would require a significant new industrial or resource extraction project in the immediate vicinity, for which there are currently no indications. Its remote location and the high cost of revitalization make its future use as an airport extremely unlikely.