Ontario Construction News staff writer
The federal and provincial governments will spend more than $83 million and Durham Region will contribute $43 million for 11 transportation projects.
Almost $72 million will pay for the design and construction of bus rapid transit lanes in the towns of Ajax and Whitby, and the City of Oshawa. The project scope includes work on Kingston Road in Ajax, Dundas Street in Whitby, and downtown Oshawa. New cycling lanes and multi-use paths will connect to the transit stations along the corridors, providing residents with more options for accessing the transit system.
“Transforming our regional transit system gets cars off the road which reduces traffic congestion, promotes active healthy lifestyles, and builds stronger and more connected communities,” Whitby MP Ryan Turnbull said in a statement. “This is a leap forward on the path to building sustainable communities which put the environment first.”
$12.6 million has been dedicated to the implementation of a 10-kilometre north-south bus rapid transit service through Oshawa that will run along Simcoe Street from Royal Street north to Highway 407. It will include eight new conventional buses, new bus shelters and traffic signal upgrades that will improve service reliability along the transit corridor. An assessment will also be conducted to evaluate future rapid transit solutions for the Simcoe Street corridor.
$5 million will pay for the demolition of the existing Durham Region transit operations building, and the construction of a 7,500 square-foot transit operations building that meets accessibility and energy efficiency standards.
John Henry, chair of the Regional Municipality of Durham says the hybrid buses that are part of this funding “are yet another crucial step towards DRT’s commitment to zero-emission transit vehicles over the next decade.”
The Government of Canada is investing more than $45.3 million in these projects through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is providing more than $37.7 million, and the municipality is contributing more than $43.2 million.
