MTO working with city to make Home Depot project a go

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation supports the Home Depot project and has been working with the city to make sure intersection improvements can be done in time for a projected Nov. 1 opening of the home improvement retailer.

North Bay Mayor Vic Fedeli announced Monday night a deal had been reached for Home Depot to build a store at the end of Seymour Street just above the bypass.
But, Fedeli said, the project would require the MTO “to come to the table.”

And that's just what the MTO has been doing, said Ray Mantha, manager of engineering for Northeastern Ontario.

“We want to see what impacts the development will have on the highway and what solutions the city and Home Depot come up with to mitigate any problems,” Mantha said.

Working cooperatively
The MTO, Mantha said, has been meeting with city staff for “a couple of months” now and has another meeting scheduled today.

“We’re working cooperatively with the city, with which we have a positive relationship, and we favour the development,” Mantha said.

“It’s just a matter of making it work for highway users.”

The city and Home Depot, and not the MTO, would handle any construction work at the intersection, Mantha added.

Permits and approvals for work to be done at the bypass-Seymour intersection would be issued by the MTO, Mantha said, once plans are approved.