Sudbury road project on time, budget: First phase of city's largest road construction project to be done by December.

• Author: McKinley, Karen

The extension of Sudbury's Maley Drive, a popular commuter and trucking throughfare, is well on its way to being completed on time and, possibly, under budget, with figures showing it will mean millions in savings for the city, residents and companies in time, fuel, and wear and tear on other city roadways.

Phase one, spanning from the corner of Lasalle Boulevard in the city's west end across to Falconbridge Road in the east, is currently underway. It includes the introduction of two roundabouts and an interchange.

The cost of this phase is estimated to be around $80 million and will be open by December.

"It's a multi-million-dollar project, but one that will save many millions more, by making commuting faster and safer, and give commercial trucks a very efficient line of travel," said David Shelsted, the city's director of infrastructure capital planning services, growth and infrastructure.

"For the commercial drivers, time truly is money. This extension will mean they can make their deliveries without having to navigate city streets to get to the other side. Commuters also will save time and fuel in their traffic commutes to their jobs and daily lives."

Fewer vehicles on city streets will result in less wear and tear.

"This will be purely a highway for transporting vehicles," Shelsted said.

"It won't turn into a Kingsway with buildings, driveways and additional traffic clogging it up."

Phase two will include another extension from Elm Street in the west end to the Maley Drive extension, which will be four-laned between at two sections of the road--one in the north end of town, and the other in the west end.

The cost of phase two is estimated to be $70 million and will be open to traffic by the fall of 2019.

A cost benefit analysis conducted by the city in October of 2015 showed the extension would have a net economic value of $135 million to 2048.

It looked at the savings on many fronts, including fuel, time spent in traffic, wear and tear on roads, vehicle maintenance, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The project will alleviate traffic congestion and save about 457,000 vehicle hours per year for auto drivers and 50,800 vehicle hours for commercial truck drivers. In dollars, that's $11.1 million annually.

Private vehicle drivers will save an estimated $1.15 million per year, while truck drivers will save an estimated $360,500 in operating costs.

Greenhouse gas emissions will also be reduced as less fuel will be consumed. It is estimated the...