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Make Hwy. 69 a priority, chamber tells province

Transportation document says 'dangerous' road was not designed to handle heavy trucks
Highway 69 2016
(Supplied)

Completing the four-laning of Highway 69 is a significant part of a policy document released Monday by both the Greater Sudbury and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

The decades-long project to four-lane the road between Sudbury and Toronto is nearly complete, with about $850 million spent since 2003, expanding 132 kilometres of the roadway.

Once work is completed on a 14-kilometre section between Alban and the CN Rail line at Highway 22, there will be 68 kilometres to complete, at an estimated cost of $200 million.

The previous Liberal said delays in land acquisition, environmental reviews, and agreements with First Nations pushed the completion deadline to 2020. The new Progressive Conservative government, however, has put the project on the backburner while it reviews spending.

The chamber's transportation document, “Moving Forward: A Strategic Approach to Ontario’s Transportation Needs,” is an overview of the main transportation needs across the province in the long and short term. 

“Given how far behind Ontario appears to be with respect to both building new and maintaining old transportation infrastructure, and that the costs associated with investment are high, how can the Government of Ontario begin to address the province’s transportation needs?” the report says. 

“As its central premise, this report will make the case for a long-range transportation plan that can deliver a strategy for better managing the province’s interconnected transportation assets, and better serving the needs of both Ontario businesses and residents.”

It describes Highway 69 as a key hub connecting not only Northern and southern Ontario, but eastern and western Canada.

“Yet the route remains a dangerous and underfunded thoroughfare which, in its current state, negatively impacts residents, businesses, and the supply chain of the entire province,” the report says.

It was built at a time when commercial and industrial goods were largely transported by rail, so it was not designed for the heavy trucks that use it as rail use declines. 

“Damage to the structure of the road from trucks, coupled with harsh weather conditions, leads to collisions and the need for regular repairs,” the report says. “As a result, the highway is frequently closed for hours at a time, negatively impacting inter- and intra-provincial trade and forcing drivers to take detours, adding several hours to commute times.

“Today, the region requires investment that will support the needs and ambitions of its residents. The provincial government currently subsidizes transportation in southern Ontario by funding Metrolinx for service in the GTHA. 

“Taking a similar approach to Northern Ontario — in combination with a long-term regional strategy for alleviating specific transportation challenges and their spill-over effects — would be both principled and productive.”


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Darren MacDonald

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