No. H091/05
For release April 28, 2005

WEBSITE DEDICATED TO 
THE COMPLETION OF THE TWINNING 
OF THE TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY LAUNCHED

FREDERICTON, NB — A website dedicated to the completion of the twinning of the New Brunswick portion of the Trans Canada Highway is now accessible from the New Brunswick Department of Transportation website, Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre and New Brunswick Minister of Transportation Paul Robichaud announced today.

"The twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway is one of several strategic infrastructure projects the Government of Canada is pleased to be supporting in New Brunswick," said Mr. Lapierre. "We are also working with the Government of New Brunswick to bring widespread broadband internet access to the province. This website is an example of how infrastructure projects are supporting a better quality of life and improved economic opportunities across New Brunswick through better access to the information highway."

"When the Government of New Brunswick decided to call upon a consortium to complete the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway, it made a commitment to demonstrate transparency," Minister Robichaud noted. "The Trans-Canada Highway website will make it possible to inform people about this major strategic infrastructure project."

This means of disseminating information will help spark New Brunswickers’ interest in the improvement of the national highway system. Website visitors will be able to view photos and follow the progress of the construction work.

On-line content will highlight the many benefits of a four-lane highway and its contribution to the province’s economy. The website will also explain the different stages of the process that led to the selection of the Brun-Way Group.

This twinning project is jointly funded by the governments of Canada and New Brunswick through the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement for the Completion of the Twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick. The Government of Canada is contributing $200 million toward the project.

The Brun-Way Group consortium, with whom the Province of New Brunswick signed an agreement for the design, construction, and funding of 98 kilometres of highway between Grand Falls and Woodstock, will start work next road construction season. The four-lane Trans-Canada Highway will open to traffic on November 1, 2007.

The Brun-Way Group will also be responsible for the selected upgrade of 128 kilometres of the current four-lane highway, as well as the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of 275 kilometres of highway between the Quebec border and Longs Creek, and of Route 95 between the United States border and Woodstock, until 2033. This work will be performed under a separate contract between the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and the Brun-Way Group consortium.

Visit www.gnb.ca/0113/fed-prov/index-e.asp to follow the progress of the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick.

- 30 -

Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.

This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.