Government of Canada invests in transportation infrastructure for the North Klondike Highway in the Yukon

WHITEHORSE, July 24, 2019 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada supports infrastructure projects that create quality middle-class jobs and boost economic growth. Enhancing the northern transportation system supports and promotes economic growth and social development, offers job opportunities, ensures greater connectivity for Northerners, increases its resilience to a changing climate, and ensures that it can adapt to innovative technologies.

Today, the Honourable Larry Bagnell, Member of Parliament for Yukon, on behalf of the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, announced a major investment of $118.2 million for a project that will improve the safety, reliability and efficiency of one of the major transportation arteries in Yukon.

A 100-kilometre section of the North Klondike Highway, which connects Whitehorse to Dawson City, will be rebuilt to accommodate increased truck traffic and be more resilient to the effects of changing climate. This project will significantly reduce ongoing maintenance costs on this section of the highway.

The work includes:

• upgrading seven segments of the highway, reducing the length of highway that requires seasonal load restrictions, and improving climate change resilience;
• rebuilding McCabe Creek Bridge and Moose Creek Bridge; and
• replacing Crooked Creek Bridge.

These investments, from the Government of Canada's National Trade Corridors Fund, are expected to have important economic and employment benefits for the region.

Projects in the North receiving funding are supporting transportation infrastructure such as ports, airports, all-season roads and bridges and will enhance safety, security, and economic and social development in Canada's three territories.

The projects are also addressing the unique and urgent transportation needs in Canada's territorial North, such as access to markets, economic opportunities, communities and essential services despite difficult terrain and severe climate conditions and the high cost of construction along Canada's northern trade corridors.

Territorial and municipal governments, Indigenous groups, not-for-profit and for-profit private-sector organizations, and federal Crown Corporations and Agencies are all eligible for funding under the National Trade Corridors Fund.

Quotes

"Transportation and distribution of goods and people are a vital part of our local, regional and national economies. The investment announced here today will make our transportation system stronger by reconstructing parts of Yukon's North Klondike Highway and fostering long-term prosperity for our community."

The Honourable Larry Bagnell
Member of Parliament for Yukon

"Transportation is a lifeline for Northern communities and for economic development in Canada's Arctic. By finding ways to make our infrastructure more resilient, we are improving transportation safety and reliability."

The Honourable Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport

Quick Facts

• All-season highways and winter ice roads in the North handle more than one million tonnes of freight traffic each year. This project, which connects Whitehorse to Dawson City, will improve the safety, reliability and efficiency of one of the major transportation highways in Yukon.
• Infrastructure development is more costly in the territorial North than in southern Canada due to severe climate, difficult terrain, vast distances, limited access to materials and expertise, and a much shorter construction season.
• To improve and expand infrastructure in the northern regions of Canada, Budget 2019 increased the allocation of the National Trade Corridors Fund to Arctic and northern regions by up to $400 million over eight years, starting in 2020–21, bringing the total allocation to these regions to $800 million.
• 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.

Associated Links

• National Trade Corridors Fund Backgrounder
• Trade and Transportation Corridor Initiative
• Investing in Canada Plan
• Transportation 2030

SOURCE Transport Canada