Minister announces awarding of contracts for work on Trans Labrador Highway

Tom Rideout, Minister of Transportation and Works, today announced that two contracts have been awarded for road work along the Trans Labrador Highway through the Labrador West and Lake Melville Districts. Funding for these projects is made available under the 2005-06 Provincial Roads Improvement Program.

Terra Nova Industries Limited, Glovertown, has been awarded two contracts to the sum of $1,561,756 for the supply and application of maintenance-grade III road gravel along the Trans Labrador Highway.

Under one contract, valued at $900,000 road gravel will be applied to the Trans Labrador Highway in Lake Melville District, from Happy Valley-Goose Bay toward Edward�s Brook, over a distance of approximately 50 km. Under the second contract, valued at $661,756, road gravel will be installed along 30 km of the Trans Labrador Highway, from Ashaunipi River Bridge toward Miron River Bridge in Labrador West.

�Our government committed in our Bluebook that we will complete the Trans Labrador Highway,� said Minister Rideout. �Only half way through our first mandate, we�ve already completed significant work on constructing Phase III and have performed a number of upgrades on Phase I.

�I am very pleased to announce that further upgrades to the Trans Labrador Highway can now commence. The application of road gravel will make this highway safer and more comfortable to drive. The highway has truly been built in untouched wilderness. In order for these portions of the highway to be properly maintained and further enhanced, the application of crushed gravel is necessary.�

�I am glad to see that these contracts have been awarded,� said John Hickey, MHA for Lake Melville District and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs. �Our government has made considerable progress toward finishing the Trans Labrador Highway and the work that is about to be completed is another step forward for the people of Labrador.�

Minister Rideout said, �Our government is very pleased with our achievements in Labrador. We have made significant progress on the Trans Labrador Highway, where we have taken significant strides toward developing a highway that reaches across Labrador. We have committed to constructing a depot between Red Bay and Lodge Bay to more effectively handle the severe winter weather experienced in this area and we have laid a 15 kilometre chip seal road surface that is currently under evaluation by the department.

�As we move forward in our mandate, transportation infrastructure in Labrador will remain a top priority for government, and we will continue to address the concerns of all Labradorians. Our government recognizes that Labrador plays a pivotal role in the future success of this province. We will work to create meaningful employment opportunities, optimize resource benefits and develop infrastructure that results in a stronger, more vibrant economy.�

Media contact: Lori Lee Oates, ABC, Communications, (709) 729-3015, 690-8403

2005 09 28                      9:55 a.m.