A transport truck travels along the Trans-Canada Highway east of Thunder Bay, Ont., in May, 2015.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
For decades, northern Ontario residents have feared driving on their local stretches of the Trans-Canada Highway, the hazard-filled lifeline that connects their communities.
And for decades, their requests for the provincial and federal governments to fund upgrades have been (mostly) ignored. But Ottawa’s new spending commitments for defence-related infrastructure could be the key to making much needed improvements on these roads – an essential link for this country.
Highway 11 and Highway 17 – both parts of the Trans-Canada Highway system – are the only east-west road links connecting the country through northern Ontario. The 1,000 kilometre section of Highway 11 that runs between North Bay and Nipigon is mostly two lanes, and long stretches of both roads have no passing lanes, medians or roadside stops.
Add heavy truck traffic and frequent winter storms to the mix, and the results are deadly. Already this year, nine people have died in collisions on Highway 11 and Highway 17. In a recent tragedy in February, three family members were killed while heading back from a funeral in a collision between an SUV and a commercial vehicle.
‘We can’t afford to wait’: The Northern Ontario mayor pushing for a safer Trans-Canada Highway
Frequent closings wreak havoc on local communities. Highway 11 has 30 to 40 days of closure a year due to weather and collisions, and shutdowns are becoming more frequent as rapid freezing and thawing due to climate change has made winter salting and sanding less effective.
When the highways close, people can’t get to work or home, children can’t go to school, businesses can’t meet customers or make deliveries, and medical appointments and emergency vehicles are disrupted. In choke points such as Nipigon, road closings cause lineups of trucks that jam the township, blocking residents from getting out of their driveways and creating risks for local drivers and pedestrians.
The impacts aren’t only local. The highway closings cut the country in half, and the 8,400 commercial trucks that pass both routes each day (including $200-million of goods travelling on Highway 11) are either delayed or detour through the U.S.
We need a dependable route across Canada that doesn’t run through another country. While either Highway 11 or 17 can be used to cross much of northern Ontario, the roads converge into a single 120-kilometre stretch between Nipigon and Thunder Bay. When that stretch is closed, the only alternative is to drive through the U.S. This corridor, in particular, needs to be improved so goods, troops and military equipment can reliably pass through.
America’s interstate highways were championed by president Dwight D. Eisenhower, who saw the value of efficient highways for military and civilian use during the Cold War. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pledge to spend 1.5 per cent of GDP annually on defence-related infrastructure, in addition to 3.5 per cent on core military needs, gives the federal government an additional impetus to set this project in motion.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a vocal proponent of drivers, should put his focus on this project, rather than on fantasies of a tunnel under the Highway 401. Upgrading the Trans-Canada Highway in northern Ontario has clear safety, economic and security benefits that will be good for northern communities, and for the country.
In addition to making some sections four lanes, the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is asking for what is called 2+1 lane highway configurations. This model would widen the highways to three lanes, with a centre passing lane that changes direction every two to five kilometres. The design has reduced head-on collisions, and it’s much cheaper than expanding roads to four lanes. In 2022, the Ontario government committed to a pilot of 2+1 lanes on Highway 11 near North Bay, but the project has yet to break ground.
Local politicians are calling for better coordination between the transportation ministry and the Ontario Provincial Police during highway closings, dedicated truck waiting areas, and more roadside amenities. They would also like to see better enforcement and training for truck drivers.
The cost of upgrading the 2,000 kilometre stretch is estimated to be between $2-billion and $7.5-billion; northern mayors say the project could take decades.
A focus from Ottawa would be a catalyst, however: the long overdue upgrade of the Trans-Canada needs to proceed with all due speed.