Improvements to PEI's highway system will benefit residents and visitors with safer, more efficient roads and bridges

MONTAGUE, PE, July 25, 2019 /CNW/ - Modern and efficient roadways are crucial to encouraging and supporting economic activity, facilitating trade, and creating good paying, middle-class jobs. The governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island are investing in roads and highways that will make it easier and safer to move people and products across the province, while supporting sustained economic growth.

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Rural Economic Development; and the Honourable Steven Myers, Prince Edward Island Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy, today announced funding for four highway projects across the province, including extensive road improvements, resurfacing and paving, as well as the replacement of a number of bridges.

Work will include resurfacing 270 kilometres of PEI's National Highway System, and rehabilitating roads and highways over the next four years. The projects will also include the replacement of 18 bridges. These improvements mean residents and visitors will benefit from increased road safety, better routes, and shorter travel times.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $101 million in these projects from the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan. The Province of Prince Edward Island will provide over $114 million to the roadway projects.

Quotes

"Better roads and highways benefit all Canadians. These road improvement projects will create efficient and safer transportation routes and bridges for PEI residents and businesses, extending the use of the overall road network for decades to come."

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Rural Economic Development

"Prince Edward Island's roads need work and $215 million over four years will allow us to make comprehensive improvements that benefit all Islanders. From bridges to asphalt, investing in infrastructure is an investment in the growth of our communities and the safety of our people."

The Honourable Steven Myers, Prince Edward Island Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy Government of Prince Edward Island

Quick facts

• Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
• More than $10.1 billion of this funding will support trade and transportation projects, including $5 billion that will be available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
• These investments complement the Atlantic Growth Strategy, a federal-provincial action plan aimed at stimulating economic growth in the region through five priority areas:
• Skilled workforce/Immigration;
• Innovation;
• Clean growth and climate change;
• Trade and investment
• Infrastructure.
• On June 27, 2019, the Government of Canada launched two new strategies: Canada's Connectivity Strategy, which commits to connect all Canadians to high-speed internet, and Canada's first Rural Economic Development Strategy, which will spur economic growth and create good, middle class jobs for rural Canadians across the country.
• The Rural Economic Development Strategy leverages ongoing federal investments and provides a vision for the future, identifying practical steps to take in the short term, and serving as a foundation to guide further work.
• Central to Canada's Connectivity Strategy are historic new investments that are mobilizing up to $6 billion toward universal connectivity. They include a top-up to the Connect to Innovate Program, a new Universal Broadband Fund, and investments from the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

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Backgrounder

Improvements to PEI's highway system will benefit residents and visitors with safer, more efficient roads and bridges

Joint federal-provincial funding through the National and Regional Projects Fund (NRP) will support PEI's Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy (DOTIE) asphalt and resurfacing projects, as well as bridge replacements over the next four years. Additional funding for an asphalt paving and bridge replacement project is being provided through the Rural Northern Infrastructure Stream (RNIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan.

The Government of Canada is investing over $101 million in total with the Government of Prince Edward Island contributing over $114 million.

Project Information:

Project Name	Fund	Project Details	Federal Funding	Provincial Funding
PEI DOTIE Asphalt resurfacing - 2019-2023	NRP	Resurfacing asphalt for 270 kilometres of the National Highway System in PEI.	$39,226,650	$46,918,150
PEI DOTIE Bridges - 2019-2023	NRP	Replacement of 17 bridges to improve the safety, efficiency, and structural strength for the overall road/bridge structure network in the Province.	$34,323,000	$34,323,000
PEI DOTIE Earthwork -2019-2023	NRP	Rehabilitating priority components within the PEI road/highway network from 2019-2023.	$23,505,900	$28,114,900
PEI DOTIE - 2019 Asphalt paving	RNIS	Asphalt resurfacing for 52.48 km across PEI. The rehabilitation of these essential roads will extend the life of the assets by 20 years. It also includes the replacement of a bridge.	$ 4,552,065	$5,419,125

Associated links

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:
 http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

Investing in Canada plan project map:
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map

Federal infrastructure investments in Prince Edward Island:
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map-carte/pe-eng.html 

Rural Opportunity, National Prosperity: An Economic Development Strategy for Rural Canada:
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/rural/strat-eng.html

Atlantic Growth Strategy: http://www.acoa-apeca.gc.ca/ags-sca/Eng/atlantic-growth.html

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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

Emilie Simard, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Rural Economic Development, 613-864-7690, [email protected]; Katie MacDonald, Communications Officer, Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy, 902-314-3996, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]

Related Links

www.infrastructure.gc.ca