Sudbury

Hwy 69 four-laning to slow down for First Nations 'conversations'

The provincial government says the twinning of Highway 69 south of Sudbury won't be complete by 2017.

Dozens of kilometres of road south of Sudbury, Ont. still need to be transformed into four lanes

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca. (Ontario Government)

The provincial government says the twinning of Highway 69 south of Sudbury won't be complete by 2017.

Today, transportation minister Steven Del Duca provided an update on the project.

He said 50 kilometers has been twinned so far, and another 20 kilometers is currently under construction.

Del Duca noted there are a few reasons why the project won't be finished on schedule.

“It's the on-going conversations,” he said.

“There are necessary approvals as a result of the federal environmental assessment approval process with respect to our duty to consult with First Nations partners. And that's part of the process that's ongoing."

Del Duca said the new target date for completion is between 2019 and 2021.