Minister meets with federal counterpart concerning Trans-Labrador Highway

John Hickey, Minister of Transportation and Works and Minister responsible for Labrador Affairs, is optimistic that surfacing of the Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH) between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Labrador City-Wabush will get underway in 2007.

"We had a very productive meeting with Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and MP Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, in Ottawa last week. Minister Cannon reaffirmed the Prime Minister�s earlier commitment to Premier Williams to cost-share completion of the TLH, and also committed to sign an agreement by the end of the year," said Minister Hickey.

Surfacing of the TLH from Happy Valley-Goose Bay to Labrador City-Wabush is estimated to cost in the order of $100 million, to be shared equally by the federal and provincial government. The project is expected to take up to five years for completion.

"The mayors of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador City and Wabush accompanied me to the meetings with ministers Cannon and Hearn, and were instrumental in making the case to proceed with the TLH project as soon as possible," said Minister Hickey.

Minister Hickey also discussed other infrastructure priorities with the federal ministers including the Corner Brook Water Treatment Plant, the Torbay By-Pass Road, the Team Gushue Highway, the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Sewage Treatment Plant and the Trans-Canada Highway. Applications on all these projects have been submitted to the federal government under the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.

"I will be discussing these projects further with Minister Cannon when federal-provincial-territorial Ministers of Transportation meet in PEI this September," said Minister Hickey.

Media contact: Tanya Simms, Communications, (709) 729-1758

2006 08 07                                            4:05 p.m.