KEARNEY − The Town of Kearney held a groundbreaking ceremony today to celebrate the beginning of construction to rehabilitate Arterial Road 518E, funded under the Communities Component of the Building Canada Fund. The Honourable Tony Clement, MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka and Minister of Industry; Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; and Jeff Johnston, Mayor of the Town of Kearney, are pleased to see this important infrastructure project get underway.
Work on this project will include upgrades to 12.5 km of road including improved ditching, drainage and erosion control. Resurfacing will occur in some sections and complete reconstruction in the more deficient areas.
The governments of Canada and Ontario will each commit up to $1,394,333 to the project. The Town of Parry Sound will contribute the balance of the total eligible project cost of up to $4,183,000.
“Our Government recognizes that infrastructure investments play an important role in strengthening our economy,” said Minister Clement. “This project will help improve transportation safety for residents and visitors on one of Kearney’s busiest roads.”
“This project is another example of the provincial government acting on its commitment to improve the quality of life for those living in rural Ontario, through infrastructure investments,” said Minister Dombrowsky. “By rehabilitating this essential community link we are ensuring that both local residents and businesses in Kearney have access to a safe and reliable road system, well into the future.”
“Arterial Road 518E is a major artery in our community,” said Mayor Johnston. “We are pleased to see this project getting underway, and look forward to the benefits these improvements will bring to Kearney in the months and years to come.”
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This project is one of 290 across the province that will break ground thanks to a joint federal-provincial investment of over $685 million under the first intake of the Building Canada Fund Communities Component. Together with funded applicant contributions, the total investment in local infrastructure improvements in Ontario exceeds $1 billion. During these challenging economic times, the governments of Canada and Ontario have taken steps to get shovels in the ground and funding into targeted infrastructure projects for the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons.
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