Hwys 11 and 17 across Northern Ontario are the lifeline for hundreds of communities that dot the map across the 1500+ km distance between places like North Bay and Sudbury and the Manitoba Border. The two highways, also a part of Canada’s National Highway System (NHS) serve as our only trade corridors that connect Western Canada to Central and Eastern Canadian supply chains. Yesterday several parts of Highway 17 north of Sault Ste. Marie were washed out because of flooding.
“Provincial officials are in the process of assessing and repairing the damages that made a number of portions of highway 17 unpassable”, said Geoff Wood, OTA’s Sr. VP Policy. “In the lead up to the closures rapidly deteriorating dangerous driving conditions presented themselves for professional truck drivers – signaling the need to get this situation addressed as quickly as possible and stabilized for the long term”, added Wood.
A video provided by an OTA member fleet and professional driver in the area yesterday morning demonstrates the challenges faced and the speed at which damage to this critical infrastructure link took place.
The latest challenges impacting driving conditions and closures highlight the need for both Hwys 11 & 17 to be treated as critical trade corridors and to receive national and provincial attention with regards to maintenance, redundancy, expedited new capital investments on lane expansions and twinning as well as surge on commercial vehicle safety enforcement.
“If we want to remove inter-provincial trade barriers between central, eastern, and western Canada, we will need Queen’s Park and Ottawa to invest in both Hwys 11 & 17 in the same manner as other critical transportation corridors in this country. Focused and expedited highway infrastructure and safety investments are desperately needed”, said Stephen Laskowski, President and CEO of the Ontario Trucking Association.
An OTA survey in 2023 highlighted truck drivers’ safety concerns regarding operations across Northern Ontario. The recent opening of the truck inspection station in Shuniah, east of Thunder Bay was expected to provide some comfort for commercial drivers but the facility is yet to be operating on a 24/7 basis – significantly reducing the necessary enforcement presence along the joint section of 11 & 17.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), in its 2023 submission and advocacy efforts with respect to Inter-Provincial Trade Barriers, have raised the issue of truck driver rest areas along Hwys 11 & 17 and its importance to improving trade between the Provinces. CTA’s infrastructure reports have also flagged necessary redundancy and support for 11 & 17 to avoid any further disruptions caused by infrastructure failures such as what occurred with the Nipigon River Bridge.
For real-time information from the province on highway conditions and updates, please refer to ontario511.ca