Contractors are about to put shovels in the ground on a project to widen Highway 11/17 from two to four lanes between Thunder Bay and Nipigon.

Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney announced on April 10 that the province had awarded a contract for the work to Sudbury’s Teranorth Construction and Engineering.

“Awarding this contract for this critical stretch of Highway 11/17 is an exciting milestone that will get shovels in the ground this year,” said Mulroney. “Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’re building highways, roads and bridges across Northern Ontario that will support the safe movement of people and goods, create jobs and promote long-term economic growth.”

Teranorth Construction and Engineering will begin twinning the highway in the fall of this year with an expected completion date of 2026. The contract, which is valued at $107 million, includes $77 million in provincial funding and $30 million in federal funding.

The project is expected to create or sustain approximately 750 direct or indirect construction jobs and includes:

• twinning 14.4 kilometres of Highway 11/17 starting east of Highway 587 easterly towards Nipigon
• building two bridges over Pearl River (one eastbound and one westbound)
• realigning Highway 11/17 south of the existing highway at Pearl River
• realigning municipal road connections at West Loon Road/Mirror Lake Road, East Loon Road, Silver Lake Road and Road No. 5 South
• installing two concrete culverts at Oyster Creek
• installing new lighting at new municipal road intersections and four to two lane transitions

“Since day one, getting Northern Ontario moving safely has been a key priority for our government,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry. “Families deserve to feel safe when they travel in this region and that is exactly what our government is doing. The improvements announced today will make Highway 11/17 safer, more reliable, and create local construction jobs.”

Once complete, 72 kilometres out of a total 106 kilometres on Highway 11/17 between Thunder Bay and Nipigon will be a four-lane highway.