‘Highway to Prosperity’ enters final stage of construction

 

By MARYANNE FIRTH/Tribune Staff, Welland Tribune, Niagara Region, Sun Media

The "Highway to Prosperity" is being widened — and more than 700 jobs are being created along the way.

St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley used the term coined by former Welland mayor Damian Goulbourne to share news on Friday that work on the third phase of the Hwy. 406 expansion is to begin immediately.

This final phase of construction, which includes widening the provincial highway from two lanes to four from Port Robinson Rd. in Thorold to East Main St. in Welland, comes with a $61.8-million price tag and is expected to create about 725 jobs, Bradley told the crowd that gathered at the Hwy. 406 and Merritt Rd. intersection.

Work was expected to begin immediately following the 10 a. This work will improve the transportation infrastructure that supports growth and prosperity. m. announcement.

Along with the "mainline twinning" of the remaining southern portion of the highway, the project will include construction of two new bridges — on Port Robinson Rd. and over the old Welland Canal — and the creation of a new commuter parking lot on Woodlawn Rd., Bradley said.

The new commuter parking lot is "exceedingly important," Bradley said, as it not only benefits residents by offering a more efficient way to travel but also benefits the environment with less cars on the road.

More than 20,000 drivers use Hwy. 406 each day, making it a "key route in southern Ontario's busy network of highways," Bradley said.

"We hope it will be an even busier highway when we see the project completed."

It was first announced in May 2009 that the province planned to spend more than $100 million on widening the highway. Work on the project is scheduled for completion by summer 2015.

Bradley stressed the importance of the infrastructure project to the region.

Not only will it improve traffic flow and make driving more convenient and efficient for local residents, it will help to encourage investment in Niagara's municipalities, he said.

The traffic lights now along the highway at major intersections are a "significant inconvenience," Bradley said.

Companies are always looking for "transportation routes that are easier" and take that into account when investing in a municipality, he added.

"This work will improve the transportation infrastructure that supports growth and prosperity."

The Hwy. 406 project was awarded to St. Catharines-based Rankin Construction, which planned to start on the bridge work immediately, said company founder Tom Rankin.

Most of the roadwork will not affect traffic, aside from lane reductions at night, said Rankin vice-president Bill Snow.

During the next two years of the project, however, pathways that run underneath the canal bridge will be affected, he added.

mfirth@wellandtribune.ca

Twitter: @mfirthTribune

Article Source

WELLAND — For a pioneer in renewable energy projects in Ontario, investing in the future of that industry makes perfect sense

‘Highway to Prosperity’ enters final stage of construction   By MARYANNE FIRTH/Tribune Staff, Welland Tribune, Niagara Region, Sun Media The "Highway to Prosperity"