Sault Ste. Marie gets $9M roadway overhaul

SAULT STE MARIE, Ont. — The Ontario government is investing $9 million for the City of Sault Ste. Marie to improve its municipal infrastructure, Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar announced.

“More than 130,000 commercial trucks transport approximately $3.6 billion worth of goods through Sault Ste. Marie to get to the International Bridge crossing each year,” he said in a statement.

The money, part of a larger plan to remove truck traffic from downtown streets — will also assist the city in maintaining and repairing roads, which have been used to link provincial truck traffic across the St. Mary’s River to the twin city in Michigan.

“The elimination of truck traffic from our busy downtown streets is great news for Sault Ste. Marie drivers,” said Sault Ste. Marie MPP David Orazietti. “Our government’s $9 million dollar investment will be used to significantly improve these roads, which over the years, have incurred substantial wear and tear from highway traffic.”

The project compliments a recent $1.8-billion, five-year plan for highway improvement and expansion in northern parts of Ontario. The plan includes $1.1 billion in pavement and bridge improvements and $700 million in highway expansion.