Northeastern Ontario municipal leaders are calling for a "nation-building commitment" to the Trans-Canada Highway in the region.
The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is urging Ontario and Canadian governments to modernize both Highways 11 and 17 across Northern Ontario, and - to help - designate it a "nation-building project" under the building Canada Act.
They argue the mostly two-lane highway has "some of the highest fatality and collision rates in Canada", noting "each accident not only causes human tragedy but also disrupts more than 8400 trucks moving $200-million in goods daily", and - with expectations that truck traffic will double in the next decade - urgency to address the problem is growing.
To address the "weak link in Canada's national highway system", FONOM is proposing a combination of strategic four-lane widening, selective twinning, and 2+1 highways - featuring alternating passing lanes with a crash-rated median barrier - emphasizing that other "upcoming national priorities, including the Ring of Fire, the NWMO nuclear facility in Ignace, expanded St. Lawrence port activity, and proposals for a James Bay port" would all rely on the Trans-Canada Highway, and that FONOM's proposals are supported by its northwestern counterpart, NOMA, as well as the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and Rural Ontario Municipal Association.