“Quality infrastructure is an essential component for strong and vibrant communities. I am very pleased that the Government of Canada continues to invest in making the City of Charlottetown a desirable location for residents and visitors,” said the Honourable Shawn Murphy, Member of Parliament for Charlottetown.

The busy Peter Pan intersection will undergo a $2.4 million redesign and construction to increase overall safety and improve traffic flows entering the city from Route 2. Public input will assist in determining whether a four-way signalized intersection or a traffic circle will be part of the final design for the intersection.

"The Peter Pan intersection is a key piece of transportation infrastructure, helping flow both people and goods in and out of the capital city. Improving the safety and efficiency of this intersection will have long lasting economic and community benefits," said Honourable Elmer MacFadyen, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs.

"As the province's largest urban center, it is critical that the City of Charlottetown is able to build and maintain infrastructure to support its growing population."

Another project within the city will upgrade the existing terracotta clay storm pipe that has operated for more than 100 years beneath downtown Queen Street. The $360,000 project will replace the undersized and outdated pipes with a new system to improve storm water handling and provide better control against flooding. The storm lines will be replaced in cooperation with the streetscape project currently underway to improve a portion of Queen Street between Richmond Street to Water Street.

A $390,000 project will allow for storm piping and sidewalk construction in the MacRae Drive area of the city. It will improve storm water handling, facilitate drainage from nearby homes and apartment buildings and provide increased safety for pedestrians and vehicles. A $360,000 project will upgrade storm piping on Francis Lane and infill the ditches on both sides of the street to widen the asphalt, enhancing pedestrian safety and storm water control.

A total of 34 projects with a value of $14.6 million has been announced to benefit communities across the province. Through the MRIF, more than $54 million will be invested between 2005 and 2012 in infrastructure projects by the Government of Canada, the Government of Prince Edward Island and local governments and organizations. Over the next seven years, this initiative will support renewal, expansion or material enhancement of infrastructure in rural and urban parts of the province.

The Canada-Prince Edward Island Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund is administered by ACOA and the PEI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs. The Federation of PEI Municipalities is represented on the program's management committee.