Maley Drive Extension: A Solid Investment in the Economic Future of the City of Greater Sudbury

Phase One of the Maley Drive Extension is a solid investment in the economic future of the City of Greater Sudbury.

More than 50 per cent of the ore mined in Ontario is trucked across Greater Sudbury on LaSalle Boulevard, Municipal Road 15 in Blezard Valley, Municipal Road 80 in Val Caron, Val Thérèse and Hanmer, and Municipal Road 84 to Capreol.

  • Ore and slurry trucks generate a lot of wear and tear on pavement and roadbeds. An empty truck weighs about 26,000 pounds; loaded it’s about 106,000 pounds. By comparison, the maximum weight of a light vehicle is about 9,900 pounds (Canadian Vehicle Survey).
  • Shifting heavy truck traffic from the city’s main commuter routes, including LaSalle Boulevard and the Kingsway, will extend the life of the city’s arterial roads and ultimately reduce maintenance costs.
  • Provision of a dedicated truck route will create improved efficiencies for companies with less time spent in stop-and-go traffic.
  • Phase One will move industrial traffic from one of Sudbury’s largest mining operations, Glencore’s Nickel Rim South Mine near Skead, off LaSalle Boulevard during the night and M.R. 80 and M.R. 15 during the day. Trucks will use the Maley Drive Extension to access the LaSalle Extension and Highway 144 north to the Strathcona Mill in Onaping.
  • Vale’s Garson Mine and its future Victor-Capre Mine near Skead will also be served by the Maley Drive Extension which will bypass LaSalle Boulevard to connect with Elm Street West and Big Nickel Road to Vale’s Copper Cliff complex.
  • Improved efficiencies offered by the Maley Drive Extension will help build stronger business cases for future development options, including Wallbridge Mining Company’s proposed Parkin Properties north of Capreol.

Phase One of the Maley Drive Extension is a solid investment in the environmental future of the City of Greater Sudbury.

A cost-benefit analysis of the Maley Drive Extension provides the following conservative estimates of potential environmental impacts during peak traffic hours:

  • The first step to an overall reduction of more than 2,459 tonnes per year of gas emissions, by reducing stop-and-go traffic on LaSalle and the Kingsway.
  • The first step to reduce traffic congestion and travel times on LaSalle and the Kingsway, saving motorists over 457,000 hours and an estimated 1.13 million litres in fuel consumption each year.