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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House today to highlight our government’s actions to make highways safer for all motorists and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who make their living working on our highways.

In March, my department announced the results of a highway construction camera pilot project that examined the effectiveness of camera technologies that monitor vehicle speeds in highway construction zones.

The Department of Transportation and Works will now work with Service NL and the Department of Justice and Public Safety to determine how these technologies can be used for enforcement.

This construction season, our government will add centre line rumble strips to Veterans Memorial Highway. This will mark the first time in the province’s history that rumble strips will be added to the centre line of a highway to alert motorists who inadvertently veer from their lane.

Mr. Speaker, this summer, we will also be introducing a 511 quick-dial telephone, smartphone app, and website that will provide easy access to our highway condition and construction reports, highway cameras, the Provincial Plow Tracker and ferry schedules.

The website and app will provide new interactive maps that show where highway construction work is located that will also make it easier for travellers to plan for safe trips.

Mr. Speaker, we will never be finished looking for ways we can improve highway safety. As we take these steps, we are also looking for more ways to use modern technologies and meeting with road builders in our province so we can make sure we keep improving highway safety for everyone.

Thank you.