The City of Ottawa will receive more than $1 billion dollars from the provincial government to fund the expansion of its Light Rail Transit System.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement Friday at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans.
"Our investment in the Ottawa LRT will make a big difference in people’s everyday lives. It’s one of a number of historic investments in infrastructure that our government is making. It will help to create jobs and grow our economy now and for years to come," Wynne said.
The funding announcement will help the City of Ottawa add 30 kilometers of new rail and 19 new stations to its LRT network during stage two of construction. The second stage will extend the Ottawa LRT network to the east from Blair to Place-d’Orléans Station; to the west from Tunney’s Pasture to Bayshore Station and southwest to Baseline Station; and to the South from Greenboro Station to Bowesville in Riverside South.
"This is the largest one-time infrastructure investment by the province of Ontario in the economic transformation of our city," Watson said.
Wynne said the influx of provincial money will go towards a spur to Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport and an extension to Trim Road in Orléans.
Construction on the second half of Ottawa's LRT network is slated to begin in 2018 once the confederation line is complete. It is expected to open sometime in 2023.
Last Summer the Conservative government pledged $1 billion for construction of phase two. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna's office confirmed to CTV Ottawa on Friday that the Liberal government will follow through on its pledge to deliver the final $1 billion in funding.
"We will deliver on that funding," the Minister said. "We look forward to receiving a funding request from the City of Ottawa for Phase 2 of the LRT Transit Project and we will analyze it in detail.”
