EDMUNDSTON, N.B. — A deadly accident on the Trans-Canada Highway, which killed eight people last week, has bumped plans to twin the stretch of highway to the top of the list.

The two-lane stretch of the highway in question runs across the New Brunswick-Quebec border, and the Liberal MP for Madawaska-Restigouche says the federal government could provide funding to twin from Rivire-du-Loup, Que., clear through to Fredericton.

“Completing the (four-lane) Trans-Canada is one of our top priorities,” Dr. Jeannot Castonguay says. Castonguay explains Funding for the work could come as soon as this year’s federal budget. The budget will be presented in the next three months.

More than 50 people have been killed on the stretch of road in the last five years.

The cost of completing the four-lane Trans-Canada highway in New Brunswick is estimated at $420 million. The cost of completing the four-lane Trans-Canada in Quebec is estimated at $600 million.