LAMBTON SHORES: The Ontario government is investing $30 million to help 14 municipalities repair roads and bridges through the Connecting Links Program.
Eligible costs include the design, construction, renewal, rehabilitation and replacement of municipal roads and bridges that connect two ends of a provincial highway through a community or to a border crossing.
Details were provided by Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, and Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.
“By investing in our roads and bridges we’re connecting people to jobs, supporting the movement of goods and creating economic growth in local communities,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation.
“This funding not only helps municipalities maintain local infrastructure but also supports projects that make roads safer, such as improvements to pedestrian crossings.”
Through the Connecting Links Program, funding will be provided to eligible municipalities of up to 90 per cent of eligible project costs, up to a maximum of $3 million for road projects.
In response to municipal feedback, starting in 2021-22, the province is permanently raising the maximum amount of available funding for bridge projects from $3 million to $5 million to reflect the higher costs of maintaining and repairing bridges compared to roads.
“The 2021 Budget provides significant support to families, workers and businesses,” said Monte McNaughton, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex.
“This includes upgrading critical infrastructure in Lambton Shores – a tourism hub for much of Southwestern Ontario – with the replacement and widening of the Ontario Street bridge in Grand Bend, which will bring significant economic growth to our community for many years to come.”