It looks like TransCanada Highway drivers between Nipigon and Thunder Bay will have to make sure they've got enough fuel in their tanks for the trip.
As of last week, the 110-kilometre stretch of highway no longer has any gas bars directly along that route.
Just two years ago the highway had four gas stations between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. But two of those businesses were purchased by the province and demolished to make way for the new four-lane highway.
Pass Lake Corner Service was removed in late 2011, and the Canyon Country Service station in Dorion was taken down soon afterward. Meanwhile, because of the new bypass, Crystal Beach Variety is no longer located along the highway.
Instead, it's about half a kilometre south of the new four-lane section, which opened last week.
The Pass Lake Truck Stop was supposed to re-open in late 2012, following some major renovations. But it remains shuttered, and officials with the Ministry of Transportation say they do not know when or if its ownership plans to re-open.
Any new development along the four-lane highway is subject to MTO land use and entrance permits.
A ministry spokesperson says there are many crossroads along the highway where a gas bar could be set up. But as of Thursday, no projects have been announced.
(Thunder Bay Television)
