New Bridge Will Improve Safety And Traffic Flow
South Huron, Ontario, July 5, 2012 – The Municipality of South Huron has begun construction on the Goshen Line Bridge replacement project, funded in part through Canada’s Gas Tax Fund.
“Our Government is proud to invest in this new bridge that will improve commuter safety and reduce travel time for local agricultural traffic,” said Ben Lobb, Member of Parliament for Huron–Bruce. “This project is great news for the local economy – creating jobs and reducing transportation costs for the agricultural community in South Huron.”
“Canada’s Gas Tax Fund provides an additional source of revenue that assists our Municipality in the maintenance and improvement of capital infrastructure.” said Mayor George Robertson.
The upgrades to the Goshen Line Bridge will include widening the structure and strengthening the bridge to eliminate load restrictions. This wider and stronger bridge will be able to accommodate agricultural vehicles that previously had to use alternate routes that took longer. Reduced travel times for agricultural traffic will lead to cleaner air, lower greenhouse gas emissions and improved efficiency for the local agricultural community.
The Municipality of South Huron is using $306,197 of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation toward this $415,500 project. The Municipality of South Huron is contributing the balance of the total project cost.
"Canada's Gas Tax Fund acknowledges that all orders of government must work together to address the pressing need for infrastructure investment in our municipalities," said Gary McNamara, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). "Stable and predictable, the Gas Tax Fund is supporting long-term investment in local priority projects right across Ontario."
Canada’s Gas Tax Fund provides stable, long-term funding to local governments to help them build and improve public infrastructure. In December 2011, the Government of Canada passed legislation to make the Gas Tax Fund a permanent annual investment of $2 billion per year.
Investing in infrastructure is a key part of the Government of Canada’s plan for jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Over the course of the summer, the Government of Canada is engaging provinces, territories, municipalities through municipal associations and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, as well as other key stakeholders in a series of roundtables to develop a new long-term infrastructure plan. This plan will focus on investments that support job creation and economic growth, while building strong, prosperous communities across the country. In addition, the Government of Canada will hold a roundtable with national stakeholders and private sector representatives at the end of the summer. Working together to develop this plan will provide new opportunities for all orders of government and the private sector to build partnerships to improve public infrastructure in Canada.
For further information on the Government of Canada’s infrastructure investments in Ontario, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca.
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For additional information, please contact:
Geneviève Sicard
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Ken Bettles
Manager of Transportation Services
Municipality of South Huron
519-235-3351
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
