Highways 11 and 17 are weak links that must be widened, group says

Highways 11 and 17 are ‘weak’ links in Canada’s national highway system and need to be widened, municipal politicians from northwestern Ontario say.

Expanding those highways should be considered a nation-building project, the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) said in a release.

NOMA said it backs calls by the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) – which represents municipal politicians from northeastern Ontario.

Unlike the four-lane corridors in other provinces, Ontario’s Trans-Canada remains largely two lanes, contributing to some of the highest collision and fatality rates in the country, the release said. Each incident not only claims lives but disrupts the flow of more than 8,400 trucks moving $200 million in goods daily. With truck traffic expec