St. Catharines/CMEDIA: A contract is reportedly being awarded by the Ontario government for the detail design of the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) Garden City Skyway Bridge Twinning Project.
Marking a significant milestone in the province’s plan to protect Ontario by tackling gridlock, this contract would create jobs and drive economic growth.
“Our government has reached an important milestone for the expansion of the QEW Garden City Skyway, which will deliver faster travel times for people and businesses in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we are delivering on our more than $200 billion plan to build the infrastructure our province needs to reduce gridlock, keep workers on the job and drive economic growth,” Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure said.
The Garden City Skyway serves as a key link connecting the Niagara Region’s three international bridge crossings with the United States to the rest of Ontario in its highway network, and supports the movement of more than $1.1 trillion in goods throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe every year.
“As President Trump’s tariffs continue to target families and businesses nationwide…important…investing in the transportation infrastructure that will strengthen our province for years to come…Expanding the Garden City Skyway Bridge…vital trade and tourism corridor, support good-paying jobs during construction and build a more competitive economy here in Ontario for the long term,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation.
Built in 1963, the existing Garden City Skyway Bridge requires critical rehabilitation to maintain its structural integrity and service life.
The completion of this would require closure of multiple lanes leading to significant congestion.
To ensure traffic flow is maintained during the rehabilitation of the existing bridge deck, a new twin bridge would be constructed.
Once the design for the bridge, road, ramps and utility relocation by Skyway Bridging Partners is complet, the new four-lane, 2.2-kilometre bridge will carry Toronto-bound traffic over the Welland Canal.
The existing bridge will then be rehabilitated to carry Niagara-bound traffic. Twinning the Garden City Skyway will support thousands of good-paying jobs, including engineers and heavy equipment operators and labourers.
The Garden City Skyway carries over 100,000 trucks and vehicles daily along the QEW, a critical trade route for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which is home to two-thirds of Ontario’s population and transports $1.16 trillion in goods annually on its highways.
The Skyway also provides a key link to Niagara Falls, Canada’s top tourist destination, which welcomes 12 million visitors per year.
Last year The Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024 received Royal Assent facilitating the province to accelerate the construction of priority highway projects such as the Garden City Skyway, Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass.
“The Garden City Skyway twinning project is a transformative investment in the future of St. Catharines…means real, immediate benefits for local workers and contractors…good-paying jobs and supporting families throughout our community…vital artery for the movement of goods across the Greater Golden Horseshoe and Ontario…means unlocking new economic potential for the entire region and beyond,” said Mat Siscoe, Mayor of St. Catharines
Nearly $30 billion is being invested by Ontario over the next 10 years to repair and expand highways, roads and bridges across the province.
It is estimated that by 2051, the GGH population would grow from 10 million to almost 15 million people. Over the same period, the region’s employment figures will grow from almost five million to seven million jobs.
“We look forward to working with the Ministry of Transportation and with Skyway Bridging Partners as our Development Partner for the QEW Garden City Skyway – Bridge Twinning Project. This collaborative phase that we’re now entering allows us to work together on complex scope, risk and design elements which will help deliver this transformative infrastructure project for the St. Catharines/Niagara region,” said Angela Clayton, Interim President and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario
