The Red Rock Indian Band and Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishnabek (Rocky Bay First Nation) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday with the consultants studying the potential for an alternate crossing of the Nipigon River.
The crossing would be used only in the event of an emergency closure of the Highway 11-17 bridge over the river.
Consulting engineering firm WSP Canada Group has been hired by the provincial government to lead the study, including the environmental assessment.
The two First Nations communities have both appointed Community Engagement Coordinators to help represent their interests throughout the process.
Matt Dupuis, coordinator for the Red Rock Indian Band, described the agreement to work with the First Nations as "unprecedented."
In an interview, Dupuis said it's important to get input "from locals, from the grassroots level" as the study team evaluates socio-economic, environmental and other impacts of any proposed route.
A spokesperson for WSP cautioned that no decision has been made on whether to proceed with a new crossing. "We can't be fixed on 'there's going to be a new road'," said Neil Ahmed, project manager for WSP.
The study area will focus no farther north than Polly Lake, north of Lake Helen. Possible options include consideration of a new roadway and upgrading of an existing road such as Highway 585, which is west of the Nipigon River.
Public consultation meetings begin this week.
The study could take up to two years to complete.
