New transportation corridor in Sault Ste. Marie

The Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Sault Ste. Marie today marked the completion of the new transportation corridor leading to the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge.

The Honourable Donna Cansfield, Ontario’s Transportation Minister and Sault Ste. Marie’s Mayor John Rowswell officially opened the transportation corridor. A total of $11.2 million was shared between the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario. The City of Sault Ste. Marie also contributed $1.4 million for construction, as well as $6.3 million for the purchase of required property.

“Sault Ste. Marie is the 9th busiest Canada-United States crossing and Canada’s new government is proud that this route could finally be completed,” said Minister Cannon. ‘”This transportation corridor is designed to ease local congestion, which will reduce emissions into the air and improve access between Ontario and Michigan.”

“Sault Ste. Marie is an important northern gateway. More than 130,000 commercial trucks carry about $3.5 billion of goods across the International Bridge every year,” said Cansfield. “The new truck route will reduce delays and save commercial carriers about $1 million a year.”

The new truck route, which will also be shared by cars, was designed to ease local congestion and improve access to the International Bridge connecting Ontario and Michigan. The new transportation corridor connects Highway 17 with the International Bridge via the Second Line Road and Hudson Street, and provides a more direct connection to Interstate 75 in Michigan. Trucks will bypass Sault Ste. Marie’s downtown area. The new route will reduce travel time for trucks and eliminate several 90-degree turns, making roads safer for residents of Sault Ste. Marie.

“This long awaited transportation corridor moves trucks out of the downtown area, allows traffic on the west side of the city to move quickly to the city’s centre, and lets us immediately advance Sault Ste. Marie as a multimodal transportation hub,” said Mayor Rowswell.

In the 2006 Federal Budget, Canada’s new government has committed an unprecedented $16.5 billion over the next four years for provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure, including $2.4 billion over the next five years from the Highways and Border Infrastructure Fund.

This year, the Government of Ontario is investing more than $1.4 billion in highway improvements through its five-year ReNew Ontario infrastructure investment plan. The Ontario government has also invested an additional $400 million under Move Ontario, which municipalities may use for improvements to municipal roads and bridges.

Transport companies from Canada, the USA but also as far as Asia and Europe will love the significant time gains these new infrastructures make possible.

Manufactures and consumers, on both sides of the border, can now expect faster border crossings and much more efficient transit alternatives.

Everybody agreed there was a congestion problem and in no small measure, it’s been properly addressed. Another job well done!

Tags: transportation corridor, sault ste. marie, ontario, canada, usa, transit