OTTAWA — The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has sent the federal government its yearly infrastructure-improvement “Wish List” that, if ever fulfilled, would see a safer, more efficient trade flow.

Submitted by 4,500 trucking carriers and compiled by the CTA, the list included roads, bridges, border crossings and rest areas that Canada’s motor carriers consider to be in need of improvements.

And who else to know the infrastructure better than the ones whose living depends on it, commented CTA’s David Bradley.

“No one has a better understanding of the state of Canada’s aging infrastructure than the people who use the highways, bridges and border crossings every day,” Bradley said.

Though Canadian carriers remain hopeful the listed improvements are being considered, the uncertainty of current economic times shows no guarantee they will come to fruition.

“Those making up the CTA are quite aware of the economic climate they operate in and are not oblivious to the fact that federal budgets are constrained for many of these types of projects,” he said.

The majority of last year’s suggested additions were reinstated on the list, including the establishment of a Mid-Peninsula Corridor in Southern Ontario, and more rest stop lane widening additions on Hwy 11 past Thunder Bay.

Also “badly needed” on the list was resurfacing and remediation to fix potholes and broken pavement on Hwy 6 to the Regway border crossing in Saskatchewan.

To view some of last year’s upgrades that are being reinstated in the current list, click here.

Bradley said the list is simply a guide to aid the government in its strategic framework and their decisions to make infrastructure investments.

“It would be undoubtedly wise to consider the suggestions of those who see first-hand where possible improvements make the most sense and provide Canadians the biggest bang for their buck,” he said.

Check out this year’s full CTA infrastructure wish list below:

British Columbia

Rest Stops

Adding sufficient number of adequately serviced rest stops at appropriate distances from major centres.

Existing Infrastructure

6-laning Trans-Canada Highway #1 from Hope to Langley

4-laning of the Trans-Canada Highway #1 from Kamloops to the BC-AB border

Upgrading Highway #3 to more 4-lane or passing lanes

4-laning Highway 97 from Cache Creek to Prince George

3 lane Highway #1 and/or add passing lanes where appropriate between Hope
and Cache Creek

Upgrading and 4-laning Highway #97 from Ft. St. John to Dawson Creek and Highway #49 from Dawson Creek to the British Columbia-Alberta border

Upgrading Highway #37 (including bridges) to accommodate increased traffic and overweight loads

Manitoba

Existing Infrastructure

Upgrade of major routes PTH 1, PTH 16, PTH 75, PTH 10 & PTH 6

Considerable bridge upgrading is required on major trade routes PTH 6, Perimeter Highway (PTH 100 & 101) and PTH 110

Update bridge inspections and modernize capacity ratings on bridges on the National Highway System in Manitoba, many of which are beyond lifespan

Solution to PTH 75 flooding in Morris: Upgrade trade feeder routes and bridges to current RTAC standards, including PTH 2, PTH 3, PTH 7, PTH 8, PTH 9, PTH 10, PTH 12, PTH 60, PTH 67, PTH 83

Develop a bypass around St. Norbert

Development of the Headingly bypass

Rest Stops

Locations on Trans Canada Hwy Eastbound near the Manitoba-Sask border between Virden and border; Junction Hwy 16 & 1; Headingly area, and Deacon’s Corner

Locations on Trans Canada Hwy Eastbound Near Flacon Lake, Hadashville, between Headingly and St. François-Xavier, around Brandon and the Manitoba-Sask border after Virden Hwy 75 near St. Norbert and near Emerson Scale; Intersection 75 & 210

Facility on Hwy 6 near Ponton, on Hwy 16 near Russell; and on Hwy 16/10 near Minnedosa.

Improve Pine Grove Halt facility in Richer area

Ontario

New Construction

Second Bridge at Windsor Detroit Mid-Peninsula Corridor

Passing lanes on Hwy 11 from North Bay to Nipigon & new highway bridge at Nipigon

Twin Hwy 24 Brampton to Guelph NG/LNG fueling infrastructure needed in the Windsor-Toronto-Montreal corridor

Rest Stops/Refueling Stations

Along Highway #17 from North Bay to Manitoba Border

More rest areas along 401 for trucks and parking facilities for LCVs

More rest stops for Hwy 11, North Bay, and washrooms in N. Ontario

Upgrades to Current Infrastructure

Widening of 401, QEW and other congested 400-series highways, but particularly the 401 entering/exiting the GTA

Twinning of TransCanada (Highway 17) from North Bay to Manitoba Border

407 extension east

Extension of Highway #427 north through Barrie

Widening Highway 40 to four lanes between Highway 402 and Indian Road in Sarnia

Widening of Highway #7 between Peterbourgh and Ottawa Highway #6 bypass of Morriston South of the #401

Widening of Hwy #25 to Milton from QEW, connecting James Snow Parkway

Widening of Hwy #8 or #24 from Brampton to Cambridge

Widen Hwy 403 from QEW to Chedoke Expressway

Widen Hwy 427 from Hwy 7 to Hwy 401

Expand to 3 lanes Hwy 401 east of Kingston

Twin Highway #7 from Kitchener to Guelph

Continue Highway 7&8 4-lane from New Hamburg and Stratford

Expand network of Compass cameras to include all exits.

Quebec

Existing Infrastructure

Champlain Bridge

Honoré-Mercier bridge

Route 85 from Quebec to New
Brunswick

Route 389 major investment needed (upgrades) considering Quebec government’s North plan
Highway 25 and Notre-Dame Street in Port of Montreal area (new design
needed)

Atlantic Canada

Rest stops

Improve or add Rest stops in NB and NS especially to handle LCVs

Rest stop outside of Confederation Bridge on NB side. (when bridge closes)

New Infrastructure

Twining of Highway 185 NB to Quebec

Saskatchewan

Rest stops

Need sufficient number of adequately serviced rest stops at appropriate distances from major centres.

New Infrastructure

More roadways, interchanges and staging areas are needed at – and in proximity to – the Global Transportation Hub near Regina.

TransCanada Highway bypass needed in southeast Regina to accommodate significant increases in truck traffic using the Global Transportation Hub.

Existing Infrastructure

Highway #2, second bridge needed in Prince Albert to span North Saskatchewan River

TransCanada Highway, west of Regina in need of repairs.

Junction #1 and #46 upgrade needed to accommodate LCVs

#6 south of #13 in need of repairs due to increased oilfield and ag traffic

#10 between Balgonie and Yorkton, twinning needed to increase safety and accommodate higher traffic volumes

#12 from Saskatoon to Blaine Lake needs upgrades due to increased truck traffic

#16 from Saskatoon to Jansen Lake Mine, road is good but would benefit from twinning as a safety precaution

 #48 from Kipling to Kennedy, badly in need of rebuild and shoulder widening

Hwy #6, 10 miles north of Regway border crossing badly in need of resurfacing & remediation to fix potholes, broken pavement.

Alberta

Rest stops

Rest area between Calgary and Red Deer needed badly on north-bound side.

New Infrastructure

Provincial Highway Construction & Rehabilitation

North/South Trade Corridor

Ring Roads in Edmonton and Calgary

Northeast Alberta Transportation Corridor (NATC)

Existing Infrastructure

Twinning highway 2 from Beaverlodge to BC border, BC has announced it is twinning from the AB border to FT. St. John.

Ring road around Medicine Hat on highway 1.

Finish twinning highway 63.

Look at adding a third lane on highway 2, between Calgary-Edmonton corridor.

One carrier wrote about needed repair on the highway’s frost heaves on the north-bound lane from Bezanson to Grande Prairie: “This is a disgrace. I would be ashamed to admit I did the work if it was me. Some of the frost heaves have to be two inches high every ten feet, for about 5 miles.” 

Twinning the highway system from Edmonton area to Ft McMurray