Kemptville, Ontario, October 18, 2012 – The Municipality of North Grenville has begun reconstructing the Hurd Street Bridge. Thanks to Government of Canada funding, this project will enhance the structural integrity and safety of the bridge, and increase its lifespan.
"Our Government is proud to invest in the reconstruction of the Hurd Street Bridge, a key piece of local infrastructure in one of Eastern Ontario's fastest growing communities,"
said Gord Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville. "This infrastructure upgrade will create local jobs, boost the economy and improve commuter safety here in Kemptville."
"The reconstruction of the Hurd Street Bridge will improve its structural integrity and safety, and prolong its lifespan,"
said Municipality of North Grenville Mayor David Gordon.
Funded entirely through Canada's Gas Tax Fund, improvements to the bridge will include repairs to the concrete, repaving and waterproofing of the deck top, removal and reconstruction of bridge barriers, and the replacement of steel beam guiderails. The Municipality of North Grenville is directing $365,332.50 of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation towards this project.
The federal Gas Tax Fund provides long-term funding to local governments to help them build and revitalize 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. The Government of Canada, through the Gas Tax Fund alone, provides $746 million in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in Ontario. Between 2010 and 2014, the Municipality of North Grenville will receive more than $1.74 million from the federal Gas Tax Fund.
"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 Russ Powers, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). "Stable and predictable, the Gas Tax Fund supports investment in local priority projects that lead to job creation and economic growth in communities right across Ontario."
The Government of Canada has engaged provinces, territories, municipalities and key stakeholders in a series of roundtables to guide the development of a new long-term infrastructure plan that will support job creation, economic growth and prosperity. We have heard that we are on the right track: there is a need for strong, sustained investment and we must continue to work together moving forward. To improve infrastructure across Canada and ensure affordability and sustainability over the long term, our new plan will encourage greater use of public-private partnerships. This will help leverage new investments in infrastructure while respecting the capacity of Canadian taxpayers.
For additional information about the Government of Canada's infrastructure investments in Ontario and to stay up-to-date with Web feeds, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca.
For additional information, please contact:
Geneviève Sicard
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Mike Finley, Engineer-in-Training
Engineering Coordinator
Municipality of North Grenville
613-258-9569 extension 138
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
