The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Transportation and Works:

Final Tenders Awarded for Phase I of Trans Labrador Highway

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House to recognize a milestone achievement in the development of the Trans Labrador Highway. Today, the Provincial Government awarded the final two tenders to complete Phase I of the highway from Labrador West to Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Mr. Speaker, the completion of Phase I was made possible by a $65.8 million allocation through Budget 2012: People and Prosperity – Responsible Investments for a Secure Future. This investment puts us one step closer to achieving our 2011 Blue Book commitment of completing the entire highway, which is one of the largest road infrastructure projects ever undertaken to meet the economic and social needs of the people in the province.

I am pleased to inform the Members of this Honourable House that Humber Valley Paving has been awarded the contracts, and will begin paving activity immediately. Work will be carried out simultaneously between Wabush Junction and Churchill Falls, and between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Churchill Falls. These contracts will be completed over a two-year period, and by 2014, every kilometre of pavement between the two most populated centres in Labrador will be widened and covered with blacktop.

Mr. Speaker, there will be a total investment of approximately $254 million in this phase of the Trans Labrador Highway by the time it is completed. This investment is representative of this government’s overall efforts to promote economic and social development in Labrador, and is part of a series of expenditures in the Big Land that have exceeded $3.5 billion since 2004. Clearly, we are committed to ensuring residents in Labrador are ideally positioned to take advantage of the tremendous potential and the opportunities that exist in their region of the province, and we will continue to make investments to support continued prosperity in Labrador for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I will conclude by saying that as Minister of Transportation and Works, I am very proud of our achievements in establishing new and substantial infrastructure in Labrador, and I am confident these achievements will help promote continued development and growth in Labrador to benefit future generations.

Thank you Mr. Speaker.

2012 05 23                            2:15 p.m.