Southwest Middlesex, Ontario – Bev Shipley, Member of Parliament for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, and Doug Reycraft, Mayor of Southwest Middlesex, celebrated the official opening of Parkhouse Drive today.  The road is open for traffic following a major resurfacing along the 6.8 kilometer section between Main Street in Glencoe and Thames Road in Appin.

The project was made possible with $252,700 in Federal Gas Tax Funding and $182,300 in municipal funding.

“The Government of Canada understands the need for municipalities to be able to plan for infrastructure priorities over the long term,” said MP Shipley. “That is why this Government is making the Gas Tax Fund a permanent measure, at $2 billion nationally, in 2014.  This helps municipal governments plan budgets and projects to meet the long-term needs of their communities.”

Prior to construction, Parkhouse Drive had deteriorated to the point where numerous potholes interfered with driving conditions.   Southwest Middlesex used Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement to repave the road leading to safer driving conditions, improved fuel efficiency and better service to the residents of Southwest Middlesex.

“2010 has been a busy year for investment in Southwest Middlesex,” said Doug Reycraft, Mayor of Southwest Middlesex and Councillor for Middlesex County.   “With the support of federal and provincial infrastructure funding, residents are benefiting from better roads, improved water quality measures and upgraded buildings throughout the community.”

Federal infrastructure funding is supporting a number of ongoing projects in the municipality.  Upgrades to the Wardsville Pollution Control Plant are supported by another $270,000 in Federal Gas Tax funding and the new Glencoe Fire Station and Ekfrid Community Centre expansion benefit from more than $830,000 in Infrastructure Stimulus Funding.   In addition, Southwest Middlesex is using more than $7.5 million in Building Canada Funds towards a new water tower and the expansion of the Glencoe Wastewater Facility.

“The Federal Gas Tax Fund, Infrastructure Stimulus and the Building Canada Fund acknowledge that all orders of government must work together to address the pressing need for infrastructure investment in Ontario,” said Norman Sandberg, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). “The funding is supporting thousands of important infrastructure projects and is critical to job creation, Ontario’s competiveness and environmental sustainability.”