TRANS CANADA HIGHWAY PROJECT BUILDING PROSPERITY THROUGH PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

The completion of the four-lane Trans-Canada highway in New Brunswick is a priority for both the provincial and federal government. A modern, four-lane Trans-Canada will make it easier to move people and goods throughout New Brunswick and to move them more efficiently and with greater safety. This will further enhance the already important role of the Trans-Canada Highway as a trade corridor and will make New Brunswick a more attractive destination for visitors. A two-prong approach was chosen to complete the remaining 130 kilometres of the TransCanada highway. Firstly, the 32-kilometre section between Pokiok and Longs Creek was constructed using the New Brunswick Department of Transportation’s traditional method of calling tenders. Secondly, the New Brunswick Highway Corporation sought a private sector partner to design, build, and finance the construction of 98 kilometres of Trans-Canada highway between Grand Falls and Woodstock. The New Brunswick Highway Corporation selected the Brun-Way Group, a joint venture owned by SNC-Lavalin and Atcon Construction to carry out this work and signed a $543.8 million agreement in February 2005. Brun-Way Group, through it’s agreement with the New Brunswick Highway Corporation, is also be responsible for selected upgrades of 128 kilometres of existing four-lane Trans-Canada highway, as well as the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of 275 kilometres of highway between Québec border and Longs Creek, as well as Route 95, between Woodstock and the U.S. border, until 2033. The project to complete the four-lane Trans-Canada highway in New Brunswick has received national recognition for its financing. The Trans-Canada highway project was the first highway infrastructure project in Canada to require its private-sector partner to finance construction of the project with payment only once the highway opened to traffic. The project has since served as a model for other highway infrastructure projects in Canada. The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships presented the New Brunswick Highway Corporation and its partner, the Brun-Way Group, with an award for the project's financing during the council's 2006 National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships award ceremony, held each year in Toronto as part of the council's national conference.