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06-17-2006, 04:54 AM
Ontario to spend $3.4B on roads, bridges, highways
CTV.ca News Staff
The Ontario government is investing $3.4 billion to upgrade the province's system of roads, highways and bridges in a five-year plan announced by Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield on Friday.
Dubbed the Southern Ontario Highway Program the plan calls for 130 kilometres of new highways and 64 new bridges.
Another 200 existing bridges and 1,600 kilometres of highway will be repaired as part of the plan to reduce traffic congestion and improve road conditions.
Motorists in the Greater Toronto Area will see the following changes:
Highway 404 extended north from Green Lane to Ravenshoe Road in York Region (work has already started)
Highway 410 extended from Bovaird Drive to Highway 10 in Brampton (work has already started)
New High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the QEW from Oakville to Burlington
More than 30 kilometres of HOV lanes will be built in suburban areas of Ottawa and Toronto.
But the province's busiest thoroughfare, Highway 401 in Toronto is not on the list for HOV lanes.
Cansfield said the lanes cannot be added because the highway already has 16 lanes of traffic and there isn't enough room.
The planned highway improvements are needed to keep the economy moving, according to Cansfield. She said the improvements will ensure that the up to $1.2 trillion in goods travelling on Ontario's highways get to market on time.
The Ontario Road Builders Association and the Canadian Automobile Association both applauded the government's plan, saying it will help improve travel times for all drivers in the province.
With files from CTV's Galit Solomon and The Canadian Press
CTV.ca News Staff
The Ontario government is investing $3.4 billion to upgrade the province's system of roads, highways and bridges in a five-year plan announced by Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield on Friday.
Dubbed the Southern Ontario Highway Program the plan calls for 130 kilometres of new highways and 64 new bridges.
Another 200 existing bridges and 1,600 kilometres of highway will be repaired as part of the plan to reduce traffic congestion and improve road conditions.
Motorists in the Greater Toronto Area will see the following changes:
Highway 404 extended north from Green Lane to Ravenshoe Road in York Region (work has already started)
Highway 410 extended from Bovaird Drive to Highway 10 in Brampton (work has already started)
New High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the QEW from Oakville to Burlington
More than 30 kilometres of HOV lanes will be built in suburban areas of Ottawa and Toronto.
But the province's busiest thoroughfare, Highway 401 in Toronto is not on the list for HOV lanes.
Cansfield said the lanes cannot be added because the highway already has 16 lanes of traffic and there isn't enough room.
The planned highway improvements are needed to keep the economy moving, according to Cansfield. She said the improvements will ensure that the up to $1.2 trillion in goods travelling on Ontario's highways get to market on time.
The Ontario Road Builders Association and the Canadian Automobile Association both applauded the government's plan, saying it will help improve travel times for all drivers in the province.
With files from CTV's Galit Solomon and The Canadian Press
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