What is the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP)?
In April 2001, Transport Minister David Collenette announced that the
Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP) would provide $600 million
over five years to improve Canadas National Highway System. This
program builds on a series of partnerships with the provinces and territories
over the past 80 years.
SHIP will provide $500 million to improve Canadas highways until
March 2006. The Government of Canada will work with the provinces and
territories to identify those parts of the national highway system that
need immediate attention because of growing traffic and increasing trade.
This will result in a safer and more efficient highway system for all
Canadians.
SHIP will also provide $100 million to fund strategic initiatives that
better integrate the transportation system. These include the deployment
of Intelligent Transportation Systems across Canada, improvements to border
crossings and better transportation planning.
What is the National Highway System?
The National Highway System (NHS) was defined by the Council of Transportation
Ministers in 1988. It includes the Trans-Canada Highway and other major
east-west and north-south highways. Spanning almost 25,000 kilometres,
the NHS includes the most economically important interprovincial and international
corridors within Canada. The NHS is the backbone of Canadas highway
network.
What are the objectives of SHIP?
Projects funded under SHIP will support one or more of Transport Canada's
long term objectives:
- improve the quality of life of Canadians by promoting safer and more
environmentally sustainable transportation;
- support trade, tourism and investment in Canada;
- make the Canadian surface transportation system more reliable, efficient,
competitive, integrated and sustainable; and
- strengthen national unity by sustaining strategic infrastructure investments
in all regions of the country to respond to local needs.
What are Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)?
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are a broad range of diverse
technologies applied to transportation to make systems safer, more efficient,
more reliable and more environmentally friendly, without necessarily having
to physically alter existing infrastructure. The range of technologies
involved includes sensor and control technologies, communications, and
computer informatics.
These technologies are already having an effect on our transportation
system to the benefit of businesses and the travelling public, and will
continue to influence transportation in the future. For example, ITS can
make the collection of tolls along roads and bridges quicker, especially
for frequent travellers. And ITS can have a similar impact at border crossings,
providing for more efficient information gathering and processing, which
will ease congestion and reduce waits. In these and many other ways, ITS
can improve traffic flows, and therefore also help to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
For more information, visit the
Intelligent Transportation Systems Web site.
How will funding be allocated to each province under the highways portion
of SHIP?
An allocation formula has been developed to distribute the funds to the
provinces and territories under SHIP. The formula consists of a minimum
of $4 million per jurisdiction plus a share based on population. The federal
share is matched 50/50 by the provinces and territories.
What construction projects are eligible for funding under the highways
portion of SHIP?
To be eligible for federal funding all projects must meet the following
requirements:
- be on the National Highway System (as defined by the Council of Ministers
Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety) or, at the
Ministers
discretion, projects could be the construction of or improvements to
links between segments of the NHS;
- represent major capital projects involving rehabilitation or the addition
of new capacity;
- form part of major east-west or north-south highway trade routes;
- be supported with a detailed justification;
- meet all federal and provincial/territorial environmental requirements;
- adhere, at a minimum, to the Transportation Association of Canada
(TAC) engineering guidelines; and
- adhere to the Strategic Framework Governing Public-Private Partnerships
and Tolling Schemes under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program.
Note: Given its lack of highways, investments in the Territory of Nunavut
will be directed at priority transportation infrastructure identified
in the Nunavut Transportation Vision. The cost sharing ratio will reflect
Nunavuts fiscal situation.
What types of projects are eligible for funding under the strategic
initiatives portion of SHIP? How are funds allocated?
SHIP is the first highway infrastructure program to provide $100 million
in funding for strategic initiatives that improve connections between
modes of transportation, promote more efficient trade between Canada and
the United States, and develop and deploy new transportation technologies.
Funding will be assigned to strategic projects of national importance,
rather than by jurisdiction, and all projects will have to meet eligibility
and selection criteria requirements. These initiatives include a mix of
targeted projects and calls for proposals. Funds will be spent in three
areas:
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): ITS can help make Canadas
transportation system safer, more secure, efficient, productive, and environmentally
friendly through applications such as advanced systems and technologies
for public transit, traffic management, traveller information, cargo location
and control, and commercial vehicle and fleet management. ITS projects received $30 million in funding under SHIP.
Border Crossings: Improving links between Canada and our most
important trading partner - the United States - is another key element
of SHIP. Approximately $65 million will be used for improvements at and
near land border crossings. This means widening highways, constructing
dedicated lanes for low-risk passengers and cargo, more secure traffic
flows and new technologies at key border locations.
Transportation Planning/Modal Integration Studies: In order to encourage transportation planning,
$5 million has been dedicated for initiatives such as feasibility studies,
the development and dissemination of information management tools and
new technologies, and studies designed to improve connections between
modes of transportation. For example, Transport Canada, along with the
governments of Ontario, Michigan and the United States, have launched
a bi-national planning process to improve Canadas busiest crossing
point - between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan.
How are projects selected?
Projects are selected on the basis of how they support one or more of
the following criteria:
- safety improvements (projects that improve safety by reducing transportation
accidents);
- productivity (initiatives leading to productivity gains that reduce
transportation costs for all economic sectors);
- economic efficiency (initiatives that improve the reliability and
overall operating performance of the transportation system);
- environmental impacts (projects that have minimum environmental impacts);
and
- national interests (national projects aimed at sustaining transportation
infrastructure or systems that are key components to the efficient east-west
and north-south traffic flow).
Why is the SHIP only a five-year program?
Under Treasury Boards June 2000 Policy on Transfer Payments, new
federal contribution programs cannot exceed five years.
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