The Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of Transportation and Works, said planning is currently underway to identify further infrastructure priorities to be funded under the recently signed Federal-Provinical Infrastructure Framework Agreement.

Under that agreement, the Provincial Government will contribute approximately $430 million to match the Federal Government share, which comes under Building Canada funding. When contributions from municipalities are factored in, the infrastructure agreement could reach $1 billion over the seven-year life of the deal.

"We will be consulting with municipalities and other Provincial Government departments to identify infrastructure projects to be funded under this agreement, and we intend to start spending this spring." said Minister Whalen.

Minister Whelan says that while she is pleased the Federal Government agreed yesterday to cost-share hard-surfacing of the Trans Labrador Highway (TLH), improve the Argentia Access Road and extend the Conception Bay South (C.B.S.) By-Pass, she is requesting the Federal Government be ready to move the projects forward in the spring.

"The Federal Government still has some work to do on its end before money actually flows and I am calling on Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Fabian Manning, MP (Avalon) to expedite the process. The Provincial Government is ready to get the process moving," said Minister Whalen.

In regards to the Trans Labrador Highway (TLH), Minister Whalen points out that the Provincial Government went it alone to start the widening and hard-surfacing of Phase I of the TLH last summer.

"We already committed $15 million of our own money last summer without the benefit of federal cost-sharing. In 2008, our government plans to spend another $20 million, which will now be matched by the Federal Government," said Minister Whalen.

The Provincial Government�s share of the funding is being allocated from its more than $2 billion, six-year infrastructure strategy

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