OTTAWA – The provincial government will foot the bill for the next stage of construction to extend the Baseline transitway tunnel at Algonquin College.

The existing tunnel south of Baseline Road will be lengthened to just past Tallwood Drive, and will come at a cost of $16.6M.

The city has already contributed $16M, and now with the additional funding from the province, the project can now be fast-tracked, said Mayor Jim Watson.

The plan will see the tunnel run along the west side of the newly built Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence building.

The new transit tunnel will help students and residents in the area, and also increase access to Centrepoint which is in the process of being upgraded.

Mayor Watson said construction will resume next year, with the tunnel set to be ready for use by 2015-2016.