{"id":75686,"date":"2025-07-25T07:00:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T11:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/?p=75686"},"modified":"2025-07-25T07:00:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T11:00:19","slug":"northern-ontario-highway-upgrade-proposal-aims-to-unite-canada-safely-and-boost-the-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/25\/northern-ontario-highway-upgrade-proposal-aims-to-unite-canada-safely-and-boost-the-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern Ontario Highway Upgrade Proposal Aims to Unite Canada Safely and Boost the Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/FONOM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2637\" src=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/FONOM-300x98.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"98\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/FONOM-300x98.png 300w, https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/FONOM.png 557w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is spearheading a major infrastructure proposal (see Appendix A) to improve economic efficiency, safety and national connectivity by calling on the Governments of Canada and of Ontario to invest in a transformative upgrade of Northern Ontario\u2019s Highways 11 and 17 \u2014 the Trans-Canada Highway \u2014 by upgrading to the innovative 2+1 model on those highways.<\/p>\n<p>The plan, aligned with the Building Canada Act and Prime Minister Carney\u2019s five nation- building criteria, outlines a two-phase approach to modernize key segments of the Trans- Canada Highway system:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Phase 1 of 2+1 expansion:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Highway 11: North Bay to Cochrane<\/li>\n<li>Highway 17: Renfrew to Sudbury<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Phase 2 of 2+1 expansion:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Highway 11: Cochrane to Nipigon<\/li>\n<li>Highway 11\/17: Thunder Bay to Kenora<\/li>\n<li>Highway 17: Sault Ste. Marie to Sudbury<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThis is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in infrastructure that promotes enhanced trade between the east and west within Canada. It also focuses on the development of major nation-building projects that will likely involve the transportation<br \/>\nof large industrial materials for construction. With a vast land area and diverse geography, an efficient transportation network is crucial for connectivity and facilitating the movement of materials,\u201d stated Danny Whalen, FONOM President.<\/p>\n<p>The 2+1 model, prominent on European highways, features alternating passing lanes with a crash-rated median barrier, offering a cost-effective and safer alternative to full highway twinning. This model is particularly suited to long-distance routes with<br \/>\nmoderate traffic volumes, such as those in Northern Ontario.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why It Matters:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Safety: Reduces head-on collisions and improves traffic flow.<\/li>\n<li>Economy: Supports Canada\u2019s busiest trucking corridors and reduces operational costs.<\/li>\n<li>Sovereignty: Strengthens internal trade routes and national resilience.<\/li>\n<li>History: Echoes the original nation-building spirit of the Trans-Canada Highway, first funded during the Great Depression.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThese vital highways, which are linked to much of the country&#8217;s economic activity, need to be considered for continued expansion beyond their existing two-lane profile. From their early days, they have formed part of Canada\u2019s critical national corridor, from playing a foundational role in connecting Canada\u2019s frontier communities to enabling economic development and asserting national sovereignty across the North,\u201d noted Pauline Rochefort, Member of Parliament for Nipissing\u2014Timiskaming.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHighways 11 and 17 are more than roads \u2014 they are lifelines for communities, commerce, and Canada\u2019s future.\u201d The proposal comes as the federal government consults on national interest projects under the Building Canada Act, which prioritizes east-west trade, industrial development, and strategic infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal comes as the federal government consults on national interest projects under the Building Canada Act, which prioritizes east-west trade, industrial development, and strategic infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/A-Nation-Building-Case-for-a-21-Highway-for-enhanced-east-west-Canadian-trade-1.pdf\" class=\"pdfemb-viewer\" style=\"width:600px;height:800px;\" data-width=\"600\" data-height=\"800\" data-toolbar=\"bottom\" data-toolbar-fixed=\"off\">A Nation-Building Case for a 2+1 Highway for enhanced east-west Canadian trade (1)<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is spearheading a major infrastructure proposal (see Appendix A) to improve economic efficiency, safety and national connectivity by calling on the Governments of &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-weather"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-12 15:38:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75686"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75689,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75686\/revisions\/75689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}