Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise the issue of Highway No. 2 in Hay River. Mr. Speaker, just to refresh everyone's memory, Highway No. 2 is a stretch of highway from the bridge in Hay River all the way north to West Channel in my constituency.
Mr. Speaker, I have continued to raise the issue of the condition of Highway No. 2 in this Assembly basically since I got elected. I am sure I have become the nemesis of the department and the Minister of Transportation, but here I go again.
I have continued to raise the issue of Highway No. 2 in this House, Mr. Speaker, because I have not seen any form of progress with it, as it is badly in need of repair. It has been as long as I can remember.
Mr. Speaker, I read with interest a document from the Department of Transportation entitled "Historical Highway Maintenance and Upgrading Expenditures for the Years 1999-2001." Upon reviewing this document, Mr. Speaker, I learned that Highway No. 2 has had the least amount of money spent on it in each year from 1998 to 2001. Highways No. 1, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 have all had more money spent on them every year. This does not add up, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, Highway No. 2 is a very busy highway, but it had the least amount of money spent by the Department of Transportation. That is very disturbing to me. As I stated in the House previously, Mr. Speaker, it appears to me that there are other road projects that were not even on the radar screen when I started bringing up Highway No. 2, and these other projects have had money allocated, and in some instances, had the work done already.
Mr. Speaker, in June of this year, the Minister of Transportation, when I questioned him about the lack of any work being done on Highway No. 2 stated in this House, and I quote: "I realize the condition it is in. I will certainly ask the department to have a look at what we may do in the short term for this summer, but there are major problems with that road and its tendency to settle."
Mr. Speaker, the Minister is in agreement with me that there are major problems with this highway, but here I am again asking for the Department of Transportation to start spending some serious money on it.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, ever since I have been making inquiries about Highway No. 2, I have been told by the Minister to wait until the Department of Transportation creates an engineering study on the highway.
Mr. Speaker, I received a commitment from the Minister in this House in June of this year that the engineering study on Highway No. 2 will be completed this fall.