The segment of Laurentien Boulevard was built in 1956 between Dorchester Street and Wilfrid Hamel Boulevard, with the second segment reaching Notre-Dame-des-Laurentides in 1963.

In January 2020, as an option for the proposed Quebec–Lévis third link, the Quebec government proposed extending Autoroute 973 to Autoroute 20 south by tunneling underneath the Quebec hill, St. Lawrence River, and central Lévis.

The original tunnel proposal was a continuation of Autoroute 40 to Autoroute 20 passing under Île d'Orléans; however, François Bonnardel, the Minister of Transport, proposed a route that would connect the St-Roch district and the Desjardins borough of Lévis.

The proposal involved the installation of a tram bus with seven stations and would connect with the Quebec City Tramway.

[4][5] The entire route is located in Quebec City, Québec TE.