NB and Ottawa to spend $272M for Route 11 twinning, two-lane bypass

A stretch of Route 11 between Shediac and Bouctouche is set to be twinned after the federal and provincial governments announced they will spend more than $272 million on the project, which includes a two-lane, controlled access bypass between Glenwood and Miramichi.

READ MORE: Route 11 construction to begin this fall: Minister

The announcement was made at Bouctouche Town Hall on Friday by Beauséjour MP Dominic Leblanc and Premier Brian Gallant. The province has committed $147.1 million, with the federal government contributing $125.2 million.

Gallant said twinning Route 11 will be a benefit for both eastern New Brunswick residents, as well as the entire province.

“Pretty much the whole east depends on this important infrastructure piece,” Gallant said.

“Not only will it help businesses, in the long term it’ll improve the quality of life of the people living on the east coast of our province, and it will create over 2,500 jobs in the construction phase over the next four years.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Not only will it help businesses, in the long term it'll improve the quality of life of the people living on the east coast of our province, and it will create over 2,500 jobs in the construction phase over the next four years."

READ MORE: Twinning project for Route 11 stalled

The Glenwood-Miramichi bypass will move heavy and fast moving traffic away from residential areas. Hundreds of collisions have been recorded along that corridor over the past decade.

From 2013 to 2015, there were 33 collisions and seven wildlife moose-vehicle collisions recorded along the corridor.

READ MORE: Twinning Route 11 ‘a little late’ says N.B. family

First responders say having a four lane highway will make everyone safer.

“Everybody wants to go a hundred and ten, a hundred and twenty and people are driving 80,  90 kilometers an hour,  and it creates a lot of cars wanting to go by and you cant,” said firefighter Jean-Noel Allain.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Everybody wants to go a hundred and ten, a hundred and twenty and people are driving 80,  90 kilometers an hour,  and it creates a lot of cars wanting to go by and you cant," said firefighter Jean-Noel Allain.

The Route 11 twinning project will start in 2017 and is expected to be complete in late 2021, while construction on the bypass is expected to begin in the spring of 2018 and be completed in the fall of 2021.