Planning out the North's future: MTO in midst of pan-northern transportation strategy.

• Author: Ross, Ian

Aprovincial plan to access the Ring of Fire may be lacking, but for almost three years the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has been quietly working on a major pan-northern planning exercise to support future regional economic development.

Known as the Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy, the multi-year study is directly tied into the Liberal government's implementation of the Northern Growth Plan.

"It's definitely a first for the MTO in Northern Ontario," said Tija Dirks, the ministry's director of transportation planning, of the comprehensive process which began in 2011.

"The scope of the issues that we're looking at is much broader We're truly looking at the transportation system and not just the highway network."

The MTO hired consultants to interview more than 100 people from the mining, forestry, manufacturing, agriculture and tourism sectors, together with input from First Nation, Metis and municipal leadership.

At the same time, travel surveys were done at border points, truck inspection stations and highway rest stops.

The intent of the exercise is for the MTO to get a detailed look at how the region's supply chain works, identify the movement of goods and people across Northern Ontario, and forecast what future traffic patterns and volumes will look like.

Interviewees from all industry sectors recommended that Highway 11 be four-laned between North Bay and Hearst, and between Thunder Bay and the Rainy River district, or at least more passing lanes be added. Others want four lanes on Highway 17 between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie.

They said some key winter roads should be replaced with year-round permanent roads to reach remote Aboriginal communities and forestry management units.

There were calls for airport infrastructure upgrades, better rail and bus service, a port expansion in Sault Ste. Marie. and stable government funding mechanisms to support it all.

Those surveyed also lamented the lack of road and rail access to the Ring of Fire, inner city congestion in Sudbury, the absence of major railway...