No. H094/06For release August 23, 2006
402 Improvements Mean Reduced Congestion For Ontarians
LONDON — Federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and
Communities, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon and Ontario Transportation Minister
Donna Cansfield today announced the start of a project to rebuild Highway 402
east of Sarnia to improve traffic flow and safety.
"Highway 402 is an important international trade corridor for Canada," said
Minister Cannon. "The reconstruction of this segment of highway will improve the
overall operation of the corridor and the safety of both commercial drivers and
travellers."
"The future of our province depends on the success of the Ontario economy," said
Minister Cansfield. "Highway 402 leads to one of Canada's top three busiest
border crossings with 4,900 trucks and $127 million worth of goods crossing the
Sarnia border each day. That adds up to about $46 billion in imports and exports
every year. We want to safely move people and goods faster, create jobs and
build a stronger economy."
Coco Paving Group was awarded the project and has recently commenced
construction. Work is expected to be complete by late 2008. This investment of
more than $44 million is being cost-shared by the governments of Canada and
Ontario.
Improvements to Highway 402, east of Sarnia, from west of Mandaumin Road
(Interchange 15) easterly to east of Oil Heritage Road (Interchange 25), will
improve traffic flow and safety in the area. Improvements on this 12-kilometre
stretch of Highway 402 include:
Rebuilding eastbound and westbound lanes on Highway 402;
Repairing two bridges on Highway 402;
Repairing three bridges over Highway 402;
New lighting and upgraded highway signs; and
Upgrading the Sarnia South Truck Inspection Station to a new
Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility configuration that provides a safer
and more efficient facility for inspectors and the trucking industry.
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing $323 million to improve
highways and border crossings in Sarnia, Niagara and London.
The Government of Canada's funding for this project comes from the $600-million
Border Infrastructure Fund. The fund is designed to contribute to projects that
reduce border congestion, improve the flow of goods and services, and expand
infrastructure over the medium-term.
This year, the Government of Ontario is investing over $1.4 billion in highway
improvements through its five-year ReNew Ontario infrastructure investment plan.
This investment will strengthen Ontario's economic advantage and create
opportunities for Ontario businesses and people.
-- 30 --
Contacts:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Neal Kelly
Office of the Ontario Minister of Transportation, Toronto
416-327-9134
Linda Licari
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Bob Nichols
Communications Branch
Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Toronto
416-327-1158
www.tc.gc.ca
www.mto.gov.on.ca
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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BACKGROUNDER
CANADA AND ONTARIO IMPROVEMENTS TO BORDER CROSSINGS
The governments of Canada and Ontario continue to work together
to reduce congestion at Canada-United States border crossings.
They are investing $323 million to improve highways and border crossings in the
Sarnia, Niagara and London areas under the Border Infrastructure Fund. The fund
finances projects that reduce border congestion, improve the flow of goods and
services, and expand infrastructure over the medium-term.
The following projects will be funded:
Sarnia/Point Edward project
Projects leading to this border crossing include:
Rebuilding of Highway 402 from Lambton Road 26 to Highway 21 (phase 1 complete
and phase 2 underway);
Widening of Highway 401 from Highway 402 to Wellington Road in London from
four to six lanes (underway);
Completion of preliminary design for the westbound lane widening and
improvements to Highway 402 on the approaches to the Blue Water Bridge easterly;
Preliminary design for the relocation of municipal roads related to safety of
the bridge infrastructure (underway);
Construction of a queue-end warning system along Highway 402 from the Blue
Water Bridge to Lambton Road 26 (nearing completion); and
Cost-sharing of the eastbound lane plaza reconstruction by Ontario and the
Blue Water Bridge Authority (underway). This particular project is not funded
under the Border Infrastructure Fund.
Niagara project
Projects leading to this border crossing include:
Completion of a fifth lane on the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge;
Completion of a 2.7-kilometre express truck lane along Highway 405 linking the
Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) to the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge;
Widening of a section of the QEW from Mountain Road in Niagara Falls to
Glendale Avenue in Niagara-on-the-Lake from four to six lanes (underway);
Widening of a section of the QEW between Highway 406 and the Garden City
Skyway from four to six lanes (underway); and
Improvements to the Peace Bridge (underway).
Highway 401 Improvements Windsor to Tilbury
In addition, the governments of Canada and Ontario are investing $285 million on
the five-phase Highway 401 widening project from Windsor to Tilbury, leading to
the Windsor-Detroit international border crossing.
The first phase involved the widening and reconstruction of Highway 401 from
Essex Road 42 to Highway 77. The work was completed in November 2005. Drivers
have already benefited from the improved safety and traffic flow on this
important stretch of highway.
The second phase involves improvements to Highway 401 from Manning Road to
Puce Road, at a total cost of $51 million. The work is expected to be complete
by the fall of 2006.
The third phase of work, costing more than $61 million, is now underway and
includes improvements on a 10 kilometre stretch between Highway 77 and Essex
Road 27.
The design for the fourth phase is underway with the design for the fifth
phase to follow.
The first three phases are funded under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure
Program. The fourth phase is funded under the Border Infrastructure Fund.
Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving Strategy
On March 11, 2004, the governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Windsor
signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving
strategy. The strategy is a $300 million joint investment by the federal and
provincial governments for several short- and medium-term projects to improve
traffic flow at existing crossings and address congestion and security issues at
the Windsor-Detroit Gateway.
Recently completed projects announced as part of the strategy include:
A pedestrian overpass on Huron Church Road at Assumption High School;
Intersection improvements on Highway 3 at Outer Drive and Walker Road;
Four intelligent transportation systems cameras to improve traffic management,
video monitoring, and driver information; and
Advance work at Grand Marais and Walker Road to facilitate traffic staging
during the upcoming Walker Road construction.
Construction is set to begin in the summer of 2006 with substantial completion
by 2007 on:
Advance utility relocation for the Walker Road road-rail grade separation; and
Intersection improvements on Huron Church Road at Industrial Drive to
facilitate access to the U.S. Customs truck pre-processing facility.
The environmental assessment and detailed design of several more projects will
be completed in early 2007:
Highway 401 widening from east of Highway 3 to west of Manning Road;
Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Plaza master plan improvements; and
Environmental assessment of a road-rail grade separation on Howard Avenue
south of Memorial Drive.
Border Transportation Partnership
The governments of Canada, the United States, Ontario and Michigan are moving
forward in a Border Transportation Partnership to implement a long-range
transportation strategy to address the challenges at the Windsor-Detroit
Gateway.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation, in partnership with Transport Canada, is
leading the Canadian portion of the Detroit River International Crossing study,
which is seeking a long-term solution to border transportation issues. This
thorough and systematic study is coordinated with a similar study in the United
States. Together, these studies will allow the governments to decide on the
location for a new international crossing and provide the documentation
necessary for approvals under environmental legislation in both countries.
For more information on the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy and the
Detroit River International Crossing study, go to
www.mto.gov.on.ca.
August 2006
