Prime Minister announces Hwy 17 improvements

NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

*************************** Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces first stage of Highway 17 twinning

Expansion of highway will improve highway safety, enhance east-west trade and create jobs

KENORA - (May 15) - Workers, families and businesses throughout Northwest Ontario will benefit from a major expansion of Highway 17 thanks to a joint investment by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.

“Northwest Ontario has a tremendous future as a corridor for increased travel and trade between eastern and western Canada,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was joined by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty at the announcement. “This investment will improve highway safety, create short-term jobs, and help local businesses take advantage of new economic opportunities. By making this investment today, we are helping the people of Northwest Ontario seize the better jobs of tomorrow.”

The new highway expansion will result in the twinning of 10 km of Highway 17 starting at the Ontario-Manitoba border and stretching eastward. 

It represents the first stage of a planned 40-km highway expansion that will eventually extend to Kenora, ON. 

Highway 17 is part of the Trans-Canada Highway System and is the only major route for Trans-Canada traffic in Northwest Ontario. 

Average annual traffic exceeds 4000 vehicles per day, with summer peaks as high as 7000 vehicles. 

We are taking action now to enhance safety, create jobs and protect the local economy from the impact of highway closures.

Expanding Highway 17 to four lanes is one of many job-creating investments contained in the Harper government’s Economic Action Plan.

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