LONDON, Ont. – The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Ontario Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield have announced the start of a project to rebuild Highway 402 east of Sarnia to improve traffic flow and safety.

Highway 402 is an important international trade corridor for Canada, said Minister Cannon. The reconstruction of this segment of highway will improve the overall operation of the corridor and the safety of both commercial drivers and travellers.

The future of our province depends on the success of the Ontario economy, said Minister Cansfield. Highway 402 leads to one of Canadas top three busiest border crossings with 4,900 trucks and $127 million worth of goods crossing the Sarnia border each day. That adds up to about $46 billion in imports and exports every year. We want to safely move people and goods faster, create jobs and build a stronger economy.

Coco Paving Group was awarded the project and recently started construction with work expected to be finished by late 2008. This investment of more than $44 million is being cost-shared by the governments of Canada and Ontario.

Improvements to Highway 402, east of Sarnia, from west of Mandaumin Road (Interchange 15) easterly to east of Oil Heritage Road (Interchange 25), will improve traffic flow and safety in the area, according to a release. Improvements on this 12-kilometre stretch of Highway 402 include rebuilding the eastbound and westbound lanes; repairing two bridges on and three bridges over the highway; new lighting and upgraded highway signs; and upgrading the Sarnia South Truck Inspection Station to a new Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility configuration.

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing $323 million to improve highways and border crossings in Sarnia, Niagara and London.

The Government of Canadas funding for this project comes from the $600-million Border Infrastructure Fund. The fund is designed to contribute to projects that reduce border congestion, improve the flow of goods and services, and expand infrastructure over the medium-term.

This year, the Government of Ontario is investing over $1.4 billion in highway improvements through its five-year ReNew Ontario infrastructure investment plan.