The funding will be used to build, repair or replace municipal roads and bridges. Credit: Kristendawn from Pixabay.

The Government of Ontario in Canada is set to support 24 local municipalities to improve road infrastructure and boost connectivity across the region.

The provincial government will invest C$30m ($21.4m) through the Connecting Links programme to support various road projects in these municipalities.

Overall, the funding will be used for three bridge repairs, ten resurfacing projects, seven reconstruction projects and four detailed design projects to support further investments.

Ontario Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney said: “We understand that the maintenance and repair costs of roads and bridges places a heavy burden on our municipal partners.

“That is why we continue to support our local communities with investments that will keep families safe, goods moving, and drive economic growth and job creation.”

Through the Connecting Link programme, Ontario helps municipalities to repair key municipal roadways and bridges that link two ends of a provincial highway through a community or to a border crossing.

The projects are selected through a specific eligibility criteria that includes technical need, present conditions, need for repair and cost effectiveness.

In Ontario, there are around 352km of connecting links.

The funding, which covers up to 90% of project costs up to a limit of C$3m, can be used for design, construction and rehabilitation of connecting link infrastructure.

Eligible municipalities can apply for funding through the 2021-22 Connecting Links programme later this year.

In March, Ontario signed an agreement with two First Nation communities for a key road link providing access to the Ring of Fire, a mineral-rich location in the province.