Good news for drivers heading west out of Sudbury: the four-lane divided highway that has been reduced to two lanes this year will soon be back to normal.
The Highway 17 construction project extends from 1.2 km east of the MR 55 interchange westerly for 22.2 km to the end of the four-lane section of road, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation said.
“The purpose of this project is to improve the pavement condition, the ride quality for motorists, and improve the overall safety and operational characteristics along this section of Highway 17,” Kristin Franks, regional issues and media adviser with MTO, said in an email.
In addition to roadwork, six structures are being repaired, including the eastbound and westbound Vermillion River bridges, the eastbound and westbound MR 24 overpasses, the Santala Road underpass, the MR3 underpass, and the Meatbird Creek culvert.
“Thirty centreline culverts and 15 storm sewer systems will be replaced to improve drainage,” Franks said.
The work is being done by Aecon Construction and Materials Ltd., who won the $33.5 million contract in March of 2017. Work on the eastbound lanes began in spring 2017 and was completed in late fall the same year.
Work on the westbound lanes started in this past spring and traffic will be returned to the full four-lanes by the end of November.
“Remaining work to be completed in 2019 includes some minor structural work on the bridges, miscellaneous paving, and removal of the temporary median cross-overs,” Franks said. “Traffic will remain on the four-lane configuration in 2019 with minimal disruption while the final work is completed.”
