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McGuinty Government Improving Road Safety, Keeping Communities Strong
TORONTO, Aug. 11 /CNW/ -
NEWS
Construction to widen a 15-kilometre stretch of Highway 401 near
Woodstock has begun. The work will improve safety, keep traffic moving and
promote economic prosperity.
The $105-million construction project was awarded to Aecon Construction
and Materials Limited of Toronto and should be completed by 2011. Once the
project is complete, Highway 401 will have six lanes from London to Toronto,
with a concrete median barrier.
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Work includes:
- Widening Highway 401 from four to six lanes from east of Oxford Road
2 to east of Drumbo Road (Oxford Road 29), installing a median
barrier and paving shoulders
- Repairing bridges at Blandford Road 5, Oxford Road 22, CPR, Horner
Creek, Drumbo Road and Wolverton Road (Blandford-Blenheim Road 8)
- Improving the Drumbo Road interchange
- Constructing emergency access roads at Oxford Road 22
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Two lanes of traffic will be maintained in each direction for the
majority of the construction work. Some of the work will require traffic to be
reduced to a single-lane at night. Short-term ramp closures will also be
required at the Drumbo Road interchange. Signs will be posted in advance to
notify drivers of the time and duration of these closures.
QUOTES
"Highway 401 is North America's busiest highway and Ontario's
transportation lifeline. This investment will keep traffic moving and make
sure people and goods can access businesses in Woodstock and Cambridge," said
Transportation Minister Jim Bradley
(http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/about/minister.htm).
QUICK FACTS
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- This section of Highway 401 is an important economic corridor
carrying more than $500 million worth of goods and close to 50,000
vehicles per day.
- The province's $400-million Municipal Roads and Bridges Fund -
announced in the 2008 Ontario Budget - is helping municipalities
invest in critical projects across the province.
LEARN MORE
Read the Ontario government's five-year investment plan in highway
construction (http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/nhp2007/index.html) for
Southern Ontario.
Get up-to-date road condition information
(http://www.roadinfo.mto.gov.on.ca/) on major highways in the area. You can
also call the ministry's road information line at 416-235-4686, or toll-free
at 1-800-268-4686.
Visit great Ontario travel destinations (http://www.ontariotravel.net/).
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ontario.ca/transportation-news
Disponible en français
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For further information: Nicole Lippa-Gasparro, Minister's Office, (416) 327-1815; Bob Nichols, Communications Branch, (416) 327-1158
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