Highway 11 4-laning complete

[Stephane Dumas]

Highway 11 between Barrie and North Bay is now fully 4-lanes divided highway.
Here a short article from
http://www.nugget.ca/2012/08/10/highway-11-four-laning-complete

"The four-laning of Highway 11 – a project that's been mired in politics for more than 30 years – is finally complete.

Despite some single-lane closures over the next few weeks for minor work, the last section of divided-highway between North Bay and Huntsville opened to traffic at noon Thursday.

The opening marks the long-awaited completion of a project that's been the subject of intense lobbying and much controversy under the rein of both Liberal and Conservative governments.

"It's just hard to believe that this day has finally arrived,"  said Coun. Dave Mendicino, who has long championed the completion of the project. "There was a time when we thought it may not come."

Mendicino was at the forefront of a local lobby effort to see the highway expansion completed while he served as president of the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce, and he continued to push the matter after he was elected to council about a decade ago.

He said pressure began mounting locally in 2002 while the Tories were in power under former premier Ernie Eves due to concerns that the pace of the work was slowing. And Mendicino said pressure continued to build after the Liberals were elected in 2003."