Stratford to receive $3 million in provincial infrastructure funding for Erie and Ontario Street resurfacing

The City of Stratford will receive $3 million in provincial infrastructure funding for the resurfacing of Erie Street and Ontario Street, both portions of highways 7 and 8 respectively, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae announced Tuesday.

In a press release, Rae said the funding is being provided through Ontario’s Connecting Links program, which is aimed at providing municipalities with much-needed funding to help repair and maintain local roads and bridges.

“Roads and bridges are vital in our rural communities, connecting people to jobs, health-care services and getting goods to market,” Rae said in the release. “This is great news for our area. I will continue to work with our local municipal councils to ensure Perth-Wellington receives its fair share of infrastructure funding.”

In addition to the funding Stratford received, Rae also announced more than $1 million in funding for the Township of Wellington North for its planned reconstruction of Smith Street in Arthur.

In total, the province is investing $3.2 billion toward local bridge and highway projects through the Connecting Links program, which covers up to 90 per cent of eligible project costs to 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 Ontario Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney in the press release. “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.”