Welcome
Welcome to the official website of the Preliminary Design, Detailed Design, and Class Environmental Assessment Study for Highway 11/17 four-laning from Pearl Lake, easterly to 2.8 km west of CPR Overhead at Ouimet, for 7.6 km, within the Municipality of Shuniah, approximately 60 km northeast of Thunder Bay.
This study will build upon the planning and preliminary design phase (completed in 1997), which determined the planning requirements for the four-laning of Highway 11/17. At that time, an Environmental Study Report (ESR) documented operational and capacity deficiencies, the evaluation of alternatives, and identified a preferred preliminary design plan to address the current and future needs of Highway 11/17 within the study limits.
The EA approved plan included a new route for eastbound lanes only from Pearl Lake to Superior Shores Road where the existing Highway 11/17 will operate as westbound lanes. The four-lane highway corridor was designated (protected) in 2003.
This project includes reviewing the previously EA approved corridor identified in the 1997 ESR and potential changes to improve the highway alignment based on current design standards and avoid any newly identified environmental constraints.
As part of the Preliminary Design study, an Addendum to the ESR was prepared and filed in March 2023, and subsequently, the project was cleared to proceed. The plan that received EA approval within this section of the study included:
- Twinning the existing highway at the east and west limits of the project with a 30 m median;
- Rehabilitating and improving the existing Highway 11/17 lane to become the westbound lanes;
- Creating a new alignment for the eastbound lanes, up to 1.2 km south of the existing highway.
Upon completion of the Detail Design Study, a Design and Construction Report (DCR) will be prepared to document the Detail Design for the proposed improvements to Highway 11/17 and the proposed environmental mitigation measures.
WSP Canada Inc. (WSP) has been retained by the Ministry of Transportation, Northwest Region, to undertake this project.
Please view the website and provide us with your feedback. We will provide regular updates on this site with information on events such as the Public Information Centres, as well as project documentation, as it becomes available.
If you wish to be added to our project mailing list or submit comments or questions, please go to the Contact Us section of the website.
