Highway 69 Four-Laning Detail Design

The Ministry of Transportation is responsible for providing a safe and efficient transportation system. Highway 69 is an important route that connects rural communities, urban areas, First Nation communities and recreational areas within Northern Ontario. As part of the Transportation Highway System, Highway 69 is one of the two highway links between Northern Ontario/Western Canada and Southern Ontario via Highway 400.

The four-laning of Highway 69 is part of a strategic network improvement plan connecting southern and Northern Ontario (via both the Highway 69 and Highway 11 corridors), as outlined in the MTO Highway 69 Corridor Action Plan. A four lane Highway 69 improves road safety by reducing congestion, providing opportunities for passing, physically separating opposing lanes of traffic, and eliminating turning movements along the highway by providing interchanges at key crossing roadways. It also reduces travel time through the area, and minimizes impacts to traffic movement caused by roadway maintenance or unanticipated incidents. Additionally, the benefits to traffic movement resulting from the four-laning of Highway 69 are expected to enhance economic growth both within the project limits and in Northern Ontario in general.

This project consists of completing all of the Detail Design work required for the four-laning of Highway 69 from 4.5 km north of Highway 64 Northerly to 8.7 km North of Highway 637 (at Trout Lake Road in Estaire). This Detail Design project will carry forward the issues and commitments identified as part of the September 2004 Route Planning and Environmental Assessment Report, which identified a recommended alignment and improvements for this section of Highway 69. A key component of addressing these issues is consultation. Further information about the consultation program is in the Upcoming Events section.

It is currently anticipated that this project will be constructed in four (4) phases, generally running from north to south. The first contract will eliminate the existing “S” curves at Rock Bay.