No. H 204/08
For release - September 4, 2008
ST. STEPHEN, NB - The Government of Canada and the Province of New Brunswick are partnering to complete the twinning and rehabilitation of Route 1.
The announcement was made today by the Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Premier Shawn Graham and New Brunswick Transportation Minister Denis Landry.
"Completion of this work will make it safer for drivers travelling along Route 1 and will also ensure more efficient movement of people and goods along this important trade corridor that connects Atlantic Canada with the north-eastern United States," said Minister Thompson.
"The Government of Canada is investing through the Building Canada plan to help New Brunswick meet its infrastructure priorities," said Rob Moore, Member of Parliament for Fundy Royal.
"Completing the twinning of Route 1 has been a key infrastructure priority for our government and is important to New Brunswick's future self-sufficiency," said Premier Graham. "We are pleased that the federal government recognizes that eliminating this bottleneck will be a positive development for the economies of all four Atlantic Provinces."
Construction of the $275-million project includes 27.5 km of new four-lane highway on Route 1 between Murray Road and Pennfield, as well as the rehabilitation of approximately 30 km of existing four-lane highway between Route 7 and Lepreau. The improvements also include major work on bridges at the Digdeguash River and the Magaguadavic River, as well as three new interchanges located at the eastern junction of Route 127, the junction of Route 760 in Bethel and Manor Road in St. George. In addition, grade separations are planned at the Frye Road Extension, Kerrs Ridge Road, Kelly Road and at Route 770 in St. George. The interchange at Route 7 will also be upgraded. Work is scheduled to be complete by 2014 at the latest.
"Our government is pleased to support these necessary improvements through Building Canada," added Minister Cannon. "The people of New Brunswick will benefit from reduced travel times, greater business productivity and better air quality that will result from lower greenhouse gas emissions."
"Completing the twinning of Route 1 will be a major safety benefit on one of our province's busiest highways," said Minister Landry. "My department estimates the twinning of Route 1 will reduce fatal accidents in this area by 90 per cent."
The Government of Canada has agreed to share 50 per cent of the eligible costs with the Province of New Brunswick, up to a maximum of $137.5 million. Funding for this initiative comes from the federal government's unprecedented, $33-billion Building Canada infrastructure plan.
Federal financial support for this initiative is conditional on the initiative meeting all applicable federal eligibility requirements under the Building Canada infrastructure plan, including the completion of a full federal due diligence review of the project, the successful completion of any environmental assessments required under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and signature of necessary contribution agreements for the project.
For more information on the Building Canada infrastructure plan, visit www.buildingcanada.gc.ca.
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Contacts:
Catherine Loubier
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Marie-André Bolduc
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier of New Brunswick
506-444-2286
Tracey Burkhardt
Director of Communications
NB Department of Transportation
506-453-5634
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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