TERRACE BAY – The trees are cleared in the vacant lot where the Ministry of Transportation is going to build a new truck stop.
“During COVID, the truckers didn't have anywhere to go or stop, so there was a big push in northern Ontario for truck stops,” said Terrace Bay Mayor Paul Malashewski.
Council has been advocating for the truck stop for the last three years, and town officials are grateful to finally see progress being made.
"It'll be an improvement over the side of the highway or snow plow turnaround in the summer," Malashewski said.
"I mean, you drive into the snow plow turnaround and if you don't have a garbage can there, I mean, it's brutal. So, hopefully, this will help clean up the side of the highway. They’ll have a place to put the garbage, a place to sleep, and a place to wash up.
Malashewski said council has received many complaints over the years of commercial vehicles adding to traffic congestion after parking on the side of the highway.
“It'll be a good place for trucks to pull over, have a rest, and kind of get them away from the downtown area,” said Malashewski.
Another added benefit is that the truck stop would provide another option for truckers to stay during the winter months.
Highway 17 experiences several road closures in the winter due to extreme weather and motor vehicle accidents.
The truck stop in Terrace Bay may prevent some tragedies from occurring by providing truckers with a space to rest between stops.
Malashewski said that ministry plan to have the truck stop open by fall, but it will not be fully complete.
Additional features like a washroom facility and picnic areas will be added, however, Malashewski wasn’t sure of the exact timeline of when those amenities will be installed.