GRAND FALLS, N.B. — New Brunswick has reached a milestone with the official opening of the last 98 km of the four-lane Trans-Canada Highway (Route 2) in the province. The entire 516 km of highway from the Nova Scotia border to the Quebec border is now a divided, four-lane highway, achieving long-held aspirations for increased safety and economic opportunity.

Among those attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony were the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities; the Honourable Shawn Graham, Premier of New Brunswick; the Honourable Denis Landry, Minister of Transportation of New Brunswick; the Honourable Ron Ouellette, New Brunswick Minister of Agriculture and Aquaculture; Mike Allen, MP for Tobique-Mactaquac; and highway developer Brun-Way Construction representatives Robert Tozer, president and CEO of Atcon Group, and Harry Varjabedian, project director and senior vice-president, construction, SNC-Lavalin.

“This highway from the Nova Scotia border to the Quebec border is a vital link in Canada’s transportation network, helping to move people and goods more efficiently and with greater safety,” said Minister Cannon. “The redevelopment of Route 2 is an excellent example of the success of our strategic infrastructure programs and how partnerships build a stronger, safer and better Canada.”

“The four-lane Trans-Canada Highway is a road to self-sufficiency,” said Premier Graham. “Seventy-five per cent of our economy is export-based and we need to have strong strategic infrastructure to drive economic development. The new four-lane Trans-Canada is paving New Brunswick’s way to a brighter, safer, self-sufficient future.”

Under the contract to complete the highway, Brun-Way was responsible for the design, construction and financing of 98 km of highway between Grand Falls and Woodstock, and the selected upgrade of 128 km of existing four-lane highway by Nov. 1. Brun-Way committed to carrying out the work for a guaranteed maximum price of $543.8 million.

Brun-Way Highway Operations will also be responsible for the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of 275 km of highway between the Quebec border and Longs Creek, and Route 95, between Woodstock and the US border, until 2033.

Eighty-one per cent of the labour, materials and supplies were sourced in New Brunswick. At peak construction, more than 1,100 construction workers were involved in the project.

The Trans-Canada Highway Project was jointly funded by the federal and provincial governments through the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement for the Completion of the Twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick. The Government of Canada contributed $200 million toward the entire Route 2 corridor from the $2-billion Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.