Council is calling for urgent action on safety improvements along Highways 11 and 17 in Northern Ontario.
They supported a motion to that effect on Tuesday night.
Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield says it’s about advocating for the safety of the people they represent, ensuring the critical transportation routes receive the attention they need and making the project one of national significance.
She points out they had to detour to get to a recent Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities meeting in Kirkland Lake because the highway was closed.
“It just shows that even not in the peak of winter these highways can be shut down,” says Horsfield. “We saw it in North Bay with all the trucks lined up waiting for the highway to reopen, and how critical this infrastructure is.”
Councillor Mark King says the issue has been ongoing for decades, and nothing has been done about it.
He adds regular congestion on the bypass is also a problem.
“I believe we need a major expansion on our bypass,” says King. “Highways 11 and 17 combine into our bypass and we have five interchanges that are constantly impacted.”
He points to Algonquin and the bypass where traffic backs up past the Esso gas station, adding it’s unacceptable and needs to be addressed by the province.
“They need to get off their backside and fix the problem up here,” says King.
