GREENSTONE -- Safety concerns make Highway 11 twinning project top priority for Greenstone mayor.
When asked about his key concerns regarding the Highway 11 Twinning Project that started in 2020, between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Mayor Renald Beaulieu quickly pointed out that the highway twinning between Nipigon and Longlac is needed now more than ever because of the major mining project in Greenstone.
"That project will result in unbelievable amounts of traffic," Beaulieu said.
He spoke about how that just the last month, one of his vehicles travelled 27 times to Thunder Bay. He and his community get to see the whole story behind the importance of moving forward with the highway twinning. The transport truck traffic is huge with anywhere from 200 to 250 transport trucks travelling that stretch of highway at any given time. He added that since there is no other way to travel that highway, the dangers are increased, especially after one reaches Beardmore.
The mayor indicated that he has spoken to the province's Minister of Transportation, and recognizes the dollars and cents involved with projects like this, but also feels confident that this project is not sitting in the back burner.
Mayor Beaulieu added that because of the Ring of Fire, which will add to an already tremendous amount of traffic in Greenstone, that it becomes even more crucial to move forward with this.
He plans on speaking with politicians again soon in order to encourage them to move faster towards completion because it is all about saving lives; it's all about safety.
Along with this, he points out that it’s a combination of Highway 11 twinning and proper cell service from Nipigon to Hearst to that is an issue for his region.
He concluded by saying that these are all issues that fall into what concerns him and his community.