Can-Am Super Highway

Consider what cutting 4.5 hours off of this drive would mean for commerce, tourism, and trade

What can Canada and the United States do proactively to ensure the eastern portion of our shared border continues to play an integral economic role for the next century?

I believe Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland have much more in common with each other than we have differences.

The longest undefended border in the world bears witness to a uniquely successful and durable relationship. We have family members who live and work on both sides of the border, we have common supply chains, we vacation on both sides of our shared border.

Let me challenge you with what I believe are nine key questions:

(1) What if Europe had a more economical way to export and import goods to and from North America? Currently, the city of Halifax has the 2nd deepest natural harbor in the world; one which in my view includes an underutilized sea port system with tremendous growth potential.

(2) What if the state of Maine had a way to get its goods into Central and Atlantic Canada more rapidly and efficiently than it can now while also being able to reach much larger markets like Quebec City, Montreal, Halifax and Europe?

(3) What if the province of Quebec had a more efficient way to move its goods into Maine, Atlantic Canada and Europe?

(4) What if Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire businesses could better access Northern Eastern Maine and urban Atlantic Canadian markets?

(5) What if the large Ski & Snowboard Resorts of New England and Quebec had a better way to attract people reluctant to drive for up to 12 hours within our North American footprint?

(6) What if more of our economically challenged rural areas, were offered a new chance to acquire more jobs, and more substantial economic activity?

(7) What if the summer & fall tourism industry could turn more of its part time jobs into full time jobs?

(8) What if the trucking industry could find a way to travel farther, in less time?

(9) What if tourism in our shared region could eliminate a half days’ worth of driving getting to and from within our common footprint?

The Canadian and New Brunswick governments have twinned the NB1 Highway from Saint John New Brunswick to Calais Maine, and along with their American counterparts have built a new fast track border crossing to go with it.

The Cianbro Corporation, a Maine based company has seen what their Canadian friends have done with this and have proposed an innovative and important concept for our entire geographical footprint. They call it the “Maine East West Highway”!

The first half of their proposal would connect Bangor Maine to Halifax Nova Scotia and Halifax to Bangor’s southern New England neighbors via the I95 saving approximately 1 hour of driving. The 2nd half of their proposal would connect Montreal, Quebec with Coburn Gore Maine and Bangor Maine eliminating an additional 2 hours from the Quebec border to Bangor. The combined savings would equal 3 hours of drive time.

Such progressive thinking from Cianbro and the people of Maine deserves to be matched with leadership from the Canadian and Quebec governments with something I call the Can-Am Super Highway.

It would connect Coburn Gore Maine and Woburn Quebec along Highway 212 to Sherbrook Quebec, which runs a straight line of 90 km then connecting Montreal/Ottawa/Toronto to Eastern North America.

If this relatively easy strip of road were twinned, suddenly a total of 3.5 hours would be removed from either direction, reducing costs for the trucking industry, improving tourism, and inviting more employment opportunities to be created in New England, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. Surely we would see busier restaurants and new ones being built, heavily booked hotels and motels, and even new ones being built. Suddenly moving goods between Europe and North America becomes easier with a rapid border crossing transportation network combined with an existing sea port system in Halifax.

We could remove additional hour from the drive between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick connecting Sussex New Brunswick with Kentville Nova Scotia.

With the construction of 2 relatively small bridges, consider what cutting 4.5 hours off of this drive would mean for commerce, tourism, and trade? New England, Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and South Eastern Ontario would have network that can access cargo from Europe.

A 2nd important link also needs to be discussed, Highway 73 connecting Quebec City with Coburn Gore Maine and Jackman Maine border crossings and the East West Maine Highway.

Highway 73 needs to be twinned from Beauceville Quebec to Coburn Gore Maine — an easy distance of 127 km, plus a 2nd addition to Jackman Maine A time savings of 1 hour from Quebec City to the Maine border would improve tourism, commerce, and potential revenue. All of a sudden with the twinning of this highway New England has access to the 700,000 plus people who live in the Quebec City region and in turn Quebec City will have access to the big New England market. This plan has the potential to move goods from all over North America and Europe through our geographical footprint, to create new jobs, to create more full time employment, improve tourism, and to also generate more revenue for the various governments in the region, with the prospect of even better services for their constituents. From a safety point of view this proposal would replace old, dilapidated road networks, reduce accidents and so cut insurance costs for business and consumers. From an environmental point of view this plan also reduces our carbon footprint by drastically reducing miles and hilly terrain such as Nova Scotia’s Cobequid Pass and thus reduce emissions helping ensure a better continent for all of us.

Clinton P. Desveaux is an accredited writer for Troy Media and The Hill Times. He can be reached at ClintonDesveaux@gmail.com