A group of Northeastern Ontario municipal leaders are proposing an upgrade to key sections of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities is spearheading a proposal to upgrade Highways 11 and 17 to the "2+1 model", which is prominent on European highways, featuring alternating passing lanes with a crash-rated median barrier, which FONOM argues is "a cost-effective and safer alternative to full highway twinning...particularly suited to long-distance routes with moderate traffic volumes, such as those in Northern Ontario".
FONOM - which represents about 110 cities, towns, and municipalities across the Northeast - is proposing a two-phase approach, starting by rolling out the 2+1 expansion on Highway 11 from North Bay to Cochrane and Highway 17 from Renfrew to Sudbury, with the second phase including Highway 11 from Cochrane to Nipigon, Highway 11/17 from Thunder Bay to Kenora, and Highway 17 from Sault Ste. Marie to Sudbury - it does not outline plans for the "2+1 model" to be used on Highway 17 north of west of the Sault, such as to Wawa, White River, or beyond.
Noting this comes as the federal government's looking for "nation-building" projects of national interest, FONOM President Danny Whalen calls it "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in infrastructure that promotes enhanced trade between the east and west within Canada", arguing it'd reduce head-on collisions and improve traffic flow, support Canada's busiest trucking corridors and reduce operational costs, strengthen Canada's internal trade routes and national resilience, and echo the original nation-building spirit of the Trans-Canada Highway, which was first funded during the Great Depression.
This also comes amid an alternate bid for the future of the Trans-Canada Highway in Northeastern Ontario, as Chapleau Town Council recently backed a rerouting of the highway from Sudbury to Chapleau to White River, which Mayor Ryan Bignucolo called "important".
Mayor Bignucolo says he believes the rerouting is "much needed", citing current use of the Sultan Industrial Road.
Wawa Municipal Council passed a resolution in April 2024 rejecting the rerouting, arguing it'd take "considerable" time and resources "with little to no financial benefit" for the province, while harming communities that would be bypassed by the rerouting.