London, Ontario, June 24, 2011 – The governments of Canada and Ontario joined the City of London today to celebrate the re-opening of the Quebec Street Bridge. About 15,000 vehicles use the bridge every day, which is one of London’s key transportation and infrastructure assets and a link to the city’s downtown business area.
“The extensive repairs to London’s busy Quebec Street bridge will extend the life of this important overpass,” said Susan Truppe, Member of Parliament for London North Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “The project created jobs and boosted economic activity during construction. Today, this bridge can once again serve as a critical link for the many vehicles using it each day.”
“Local Infrastructure investments like this are an important part of the McGuinty government’s plan to support economic development in the London area and communities across the province,” said Deb Matthews, Member of Provincial Parliament for London North Centre. “The new Quebec Street Overpass will better connect local residents to their families, their friends, and their businesses, which is good news for everyone here in London.”
Mayor Fontana was equally pleased to see the bridge re-opened to traffic and said, “This bridge is an important route for many Londoners and a critical part of the roadway infrastructure of our city. Partnering with other levels of government to maintain the integrity of the structure and ensuring people and products can continue to use this bridge was a good idea and a good investment.”
The total eligible cost of this project was $2 million, with the governments of Canada and Ontario each contributing nearly $670,000. The City of London contributed the balance.
Federal funding for this project comes from the Government of Canada’s $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which is providing funding to over 4,100 infrastructure projects across the country.
Over the last couple of months, Ontario had an increase of 38,000 jobs and the unemployment rate declined to 7.9 per cent.
LEARN MORE:
For additional information about investments in infrastructure, visit www.creatingjobs.gc.ca.
For further information about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
For more information on how Ontario is revitalizing its infrastructure, visit ontario.ca/infrastructure.
Contacts:
Vanessa Schneider
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Office of MPP Matthews
519-432-7339
Glynis Tucker
Corporate Communications
City of London
519-661-2500 ext. 8436
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148 or toll-free 1-877-250-7154
