No. H019/10
For release - February 18, 2010
WAWEIG, NEW BRUNSWICK — New Brunswick’s Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet and Greg Thompson, Member of Parliament for New Brunswick-Southwest today released details of 11 contracts awarded to clear land for a new highway corridor. The work will prepare for the construction of a new four-lane highway between Waweig and Lepreau planned as part of the Route 1 Gateway Project.
“This $900,000 investment further demonstrates the Government of New Brunswick’s commitment to the Charter for Change, which has Route 1 completed as a four-lane highway,” said Doucet, on behalf of Transportation Minister Denis Landry. “We are investing in people and communities while creating jobs that deliver an economic stimulus and new infrastructure for a self-sufficient New Brunswick.”
“The Route 1 Gateway Project is a good example of what our government is doing to keep our economy moving, create new jobs and improve safety,” said Thompson. “We are proud to support such an important project — one that will improve trade and traffic flows between St. Stephen and Calais, Maine, New Brunswick’s key land border crossing with the United States.”
More than 40 kilometres of clearing work is currently underway to prepare for construction between:
- Murray Road and Letang River;
- the Pennfield area and Lepreau; and
- the Mealy Road connector.
Motorists are cautioned at this time to be aware of the movement of wildlife, most notably deer, along the highway due to these clearing activities.
The Route 1 Gateway Project will engage a developer/operator to construct 55 kilometres of a new four-lane highway between Waweig and Lepreau, and to install a total of 104 linear kilometres of wildlife fencing along both sides of Route 1 as part of the province’s wildlife management program. Other selected upgrades are also planned for the Route 1 corridor during this time. All construction is expected to be complete by July 31, 2013.
Additionally, the developer/operator will be responsible for the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of 235 kilometres of Route 1 from St. Stephen to River Glade for a 30-year period, starting in summer 2011.
The Route 1 Gateway Project will be jointly funded by the governments of New Brunswick and Canada. Further information about this project is available at www.gnb.ca/0113/index-e.asp.
For a list of contracts awarded through public tender and the value of each project, please see the attached backgrounder.
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Contacts:
James Kusie
Director of Issues Management and
Parliamentary Affairs
Office of Canada’s Transport Minister John Baird Ottawa
613-991-0700
Andrew Holland
Director of Communications
New Brunswick Department of Transportation
560-453-5634
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
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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