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Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program
The five-year Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP) was created
to renew and enhance Canada's highway infrastructure, focusing on projects
of national scope.
In order to use this funding in the most strategic way possible, the
program focuses, not only on highway construction projects, but also on
innovative means to maximize the use of existing highway and related ground
transportation systems.
The SHIP is composed of the following components:
- $500 million for strategic highway construction
improvements on the National Highway System (NHS); and
- $100 million for national system integration initiatives, specifically:
- $65 million for improvements at or near border
crossings.
- $30 million for Intelligent Transportation
Systems (ITS) initiatives; and
- $5 million for planning/modal
integration studies .*
* These amounts include management, communications and evaluation
costs.
Background Goals and Objectives
Background
As part of its commitment to maintain and improve quality of life for
all Canadians, the Government of Canada has launched a new five-year program
to renew and enhance Canada's physical infrastructure. The program will
mobilize provincial, territorial, municipal, and private sector partners
to address 21st century infrastructure challenges in rural and urban municipalities
across Canada.
The October 1999 Speech from the Throne announced a new vision of 21st
century infrastructure for Canada, including knowledge, information, cultural,
and physical infrastructure. Budget 2000 provided $2.65 billion of funding
for the physical infrastructure program. The program has two components:
municipal infrastructure, called Infrastructure
Canada Program, and a highway component, called the Strategic Highway
Infrastructure Program (SHIP).
Goals and Objectives
The program has been designed to support the following long-term national
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
- Make Canada a leader in the use of innovative transportation and
information technologies
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