THUNDER BAY -- The Ministry of Transportation had intended to conduct a planning study for the Thunder Bay Expressway south of the city even before a fatal vehicle collision took place in that area of Highway 61 last week.
A statement the MTO issued Wednesday says the study will assess Highway 61 between Arthur Street and Loch Lomand Road, "to identify and review alternatives for future highway needs."
Ministry spokesman Bob Nichols explained emails regarding the planned study have been recently exchanged with Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro.
Although the statement confirmed the ministry has heard Mauro's concerns over highway safety in the wake of the collision that killed 45-year-old Fort William First Nation member, Rachel Legarde, it added its staff await the results of the ongoing police investigation.
"Routinely, the ministry reviews all collisions to determine if highway improvements are required," the statement reads.
"Friday's collision is still under investigation by the OPP. The ministry will continue to review the details of the collision as the investigation progresses."
Traffic has increased substantially between Arthur Street and Chippewa Road since an October 2013 fire rendered the James Street Swing Bridge impassible. A case the city brought against Canadian National Railway in 2015 to determine who is responsible to replace the bridge is still before the courts.
The ministry's response has been to create a northbound acceleration lane where Highway 61 meets Chippewa Road. It has also installed an overhead flashing beacon and increased signage.
Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins urged the ministry to mandate speed reductions in the area as he publicly offered the family his condolences on Tuesday. His comments came nearly a year after he called for the MTO to establish an alternate route between the city and the First Nation.
While Mauro expressed his sympathies, he urged caution over jumping to conclusions regarding the best course of action.
"I think we need to be careful in terms of what we think is the best thing to do or getting into the game of designing highways. There are professionals who do this. I know there are some things we instinctively think would be the best thing to do .I'm not a traffic engineer," he said.
"I would prefer we hear from them first in terms of what they think might be the best thing to do but clearly there's an issue that people are concerned with: the closure for three years of that private bridge has led to increased traffic volumes on that stretch of highway and that has caused a great deal of concern for the people who travel that road, as well as from an emergency pespective."
Mauro pointed out the province has recently completed an environmental assessment on the Thunder Bay Expressway between Balsam and Arthur streets to improve highway safety. Plans include potentially dividing the road and instalilng interchanges.
Mauro, who also serves as the Minister of Municipal Affairs, said he's lobbying in cabinet to have that project's design phase cost included in the 2017 provincial budget. He recognizes, however, the danger inherent to traveling between communities across the region.
"I'm concerned anytime I'm on a highway in Northern Ontario -- all the time," he said.
"I talk to my family members about it all the time and we all need to be cautious and careful anytime we're on a highway in Northern Ontario."
