Why Four-Lane?
As a gateway to Northern Ontario and as the main local commuter route, use of Highway 11 has grown steadily. In recent decades, continued economic development north of Huntsville has increased over-all traffic volumes, raising concerns about road congestion and safety.
The Ministry of Transportation has dedicated considerable resources to study the conditions and needs of the Highway 11 corridor. As early as 1972, the Muskoka-Parry Sound Area Highway Planning Study, produced by the Ministry of Transportation, identified the Huntsville-North Bay corridor as a priority for future four-laning.
Four-laning provides several benefits to Ontario motorists and our visitors:
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It improves travel times between northern and southern population centres;
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It reduces the likelihood and duration of road closures due to collision clean-up and accident investigations;
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It improves access to serviced areas, allowing for continued growth of northern industry and the tourism and recreational sectors; and, most importantly,
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It improves the safety of the Highway 11 route by reducing congestion and making passing easier, providing controlled access to the roadway, and separating northbound and southbound traffic with a median.
