No. H125/05
For release - June 6, 2005
SAULT STE. MARIE — The governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Sault Ste. Marie today marked the start of construction of a new $12.6-million truck route in Sault Ste. Marie to ease local congestion and improve access to the International Bridge connecting Ontario and Michigan.
Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario) Joe Comuzzi, on behalf of Federal Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre, and Sault Ste. Marie MPP David Orazietti, on behalf of Ontario Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar, were joined by Sault Ste. Marie's Mayor John Rowswell at a groundbreaking ceremony for the truck route.
"The border crossing at Sault Ste. Marie is an important gateway for goods moving between northeast Ontario and the U.S. Midwest," said Mr. Comuzzi. "This project, which will enhance safety and improve the flow of traffic, will be beneficial for area residents, as well as for visitors and for trade."
"More than 120,000 commercial trucks carry about $3.5 billion of goods across the International Bridge every year," said Mr. Orazietti. "The new route will reduce delays, save commercial carriers about $1 million a year, make our streets safer and help keep Ontario's economy strong."
The new truck route will connect Highway 17 with the International Bridge via the Second Line Road and Hudson Street. Trucks will bypass the downtown area.
"This project is critical infrastructure for our community. It will shorten travel time to the United States and move truck traffic away from our downtown streets and residential areas," said Mayor Rowswell. "That will solve a long-standing problem within our community."
Contracts have been awarded to Avery Construction, George Stone and Sons, Rainone Construction and Palmer Paving, all from Sault Ste. Marie. The truck route is expected to be complete and open to traffic in September 2006.
The governments of Canada and Ontario will jointly contribute a total of $11.2 million for this project. Federal funding comes from the $65-million Border Crossing Transportation Initiatives component of the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP) announced in 2001. The City of Sault Ste. Marie will provide the remaining $1.4 million to complete construction, as well as up to $6.3 million to purchase property required for the truck route.
Backgrounders with additional details on SHIP and the project are available on the websites noted below.
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