Premier Doug Ford has promised to make northern highways safer by widening Highway 11 from Temiskaming Shores to Cochrane with a 2+1 highway design. and bringing back the Northlander starting next year.
It's not new. The province issued a request for proposals for a 2+1 highway pilot on Highway 11 north of North Bay back in 2022.
A 2+1 highway is a three-lane highway with a centre passing lane that changes direction approximately every two to five kilometres. The highway model is used in other jurisdictions around the world and is considered more cost-efficient than twinning a highway.
The North Bay pilot will be a first-of-its-kind highway pilot in North America
See: 2+1 model for northern highways gets added support
And: 2+1 Highway 11 will save lives says study
“The NDP and Liberals have abandoned northern Ontario, consistently voting against investments in roads and highways across the region,” said Ford. “Our Ontario PC team is the only party that will invest to improve northern roads and highways, making them safer and more convenient for drivers. We’re also bringing back the Northlander passenger rail service starting next year, nearly 15 years after it was cancelled by the NDP-backed Liberal government.”
The planning process of widening Highway 11 from North Bay to Temiskaming Shores has already begun but no physical work has been done to the highway. The initial work is set to begin on Highway 11 between Sand Dam Road and Ellesmere Road, and between Highway 64 and Jumping Caribou Road.
Ford is now promising to extend the 2+1 highway another 220 kilometres from Temiskaming Shores to Cochrane, with a new passing lane that changes direction every two to five kilometres.
"This expanded highway will improve highway safety and make travel more efficient and convenient for northern drivers," says a news release.
Ford also announced that the Northlander passenger rail service is on track to re-enter service next year, nearly 15 years after it was cancelled by the NDP-backed Liberal government. Once fully operational, the Northlander will provide regular train service from Toronto to Cochrane, with 16 stops along the way including in Muskoka, North Bay, Temagami, Temiskaming Shores, Englehart, Kirkland Lake, Matheson and Timmins.