THUNDER BAY —The Ministry of Transportation has announced the first Public Information Centre concerning the possible future widening of a section of Highway 61.
The MTO has hired an engineering firm to help determine what a government notice calls "the appropriate strategy" for widening the stretch from Thunder Bay Airport south to Loch Lomond Road.
The first of three public meetings is set for Wednesday, September 5 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Best Western Nor'Wester.
MTO has separated the study area into two sections, one from the airport to Chippewa Road, and one from Chippewa Road to just south of Loch Lomond Road.
Highway 61 in that area carries an average daily traffic volume ranging from 24,000 vehicles at Arthur Street to 9,000 vehicles south of Loch Lomond Road.
The corridor became more congested after the closure of the James Street Swing Bridge in 2012.
It's expected that the study will be completed in 2020.
