Province providing $74M for Connecting Link project in Timmins

The Ontario government said Thursday it is providing $74 million for the Connecting Link project in Timmins.

Connecting Link will rebuild a 21.4‐kilometre stretch of Highway 101, "which is one of the longest connecting links in Ontario and used by 25,000 vehicles per day," the province said.

A 2019 report by city staff estimated the total cost of the project to be $93 million, with about $19.2 million already completed.

In a news release Thursday evening, the City of Timmins welcomed the announcement.

"This announcement of $74 million to be invested in the City of Timmins’ Connecting Link, by this government is transformative,” Mayor George Pirie said in a news release.

“These dollars will go towards eliminating the city’s infrastructure deficit and allow the city to begin a new and exciting era of renewal and regeneration. We are now into the second decade of the second century of the city’s existence and this announcement will allow us to secure our future and our place as the economic and cultural centre of northeastern Ontario."

Pirie is running for the governing Conservatives in the June provincial election.

Pat Seguin, the city engineer and director of growth and infrastructure, said in the release that the city has been working on the link for the last two decades.

"This will allow us to dedicate funds to other pressing infrastructure projects and complete the Connecting Link at a quicker pace – achieving better economies of scale,” Seguin said.