Ontario Providing Funding for Highway 26 Repairs in Simcoe-Grey

VIDEO: NEWS RELEASE: April 12, 2023

Simcoe-Grey: Collingwood – The Ontario government is providing $2,120,170 to help with the rehabilitation of Highway 26 from Osler Bluff Road to Cranberry Trail West. The funding is being delivered through the Connecting Links program and will help to support the safe movement of people and goods and spur economic growth.

“Roads and bridges are vital links that connect people to jobs, housing and make it easier for people to get where they need to go,” said Brian Saunderson, MPP for Simcoe-Grey. “Our government is providing the funding municipalities need to ensure their transportation infrastructure is safe and reliable for generations to come.”

“I am so pleased Collingwood will receive this much needed funding from the Province to help pay for the Rehabilitation of Highway 26 from Osler Bluff Road to Cranberry Trail West. This section of road was identified with priority status in the Town’s Asset Management Plan,” said Collingwood Mayor Yvonne Hamlin.  “Through this grant, the province is bearing the burden of 90% of the cost of the project which will include new asphalt, wider paved shoulders, and municipal drainage infrastructure. This is great news for drivers who travel this section of road and for taxpayers of Collingwood” Mayor Hamlin added.

The Connecting Links program provides funding for up to 90 per cent of eligible project costs. This includes a maximum of $3 million for road projects and $5 million for bridge projects. Eligible costs include the design, construction, renewal, rehabilitation and replacement of municipal roads and bridges that run through communities and connect to provincial highways.

“Our government is investing in municipal roads and bridges to support jobs and growth in our local communities,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “By helping municipalities make much-needed infrastructure improvements, our government is continuing to deliver on its plan to build a stronger Ontario and keep goods and people moving across the province.”

All eligible municipalities are encouraged to apply for 2024–25 Connecting Links program funding when the intake opens later this year.

Quick Facts
• Connecting links are municipal roads that connect two ends of a provincial
highway through a community or to an international or interprovincial border
crossing.
• In Ontario, there are a total of 352 kilometres of connecting links, with 70 bridges
in 77 municipalities

LEARN MORE: Connecting Links Program