following the war, construction on the missing segment of highway 17 between schreiber and sault ste. marie proceeded slowly; the completion of highway 11 between nipigon and hearst already provided a road between the east and west. however, in 1949 the federal government signed the trans canada highway act, which provided up to a 90% subsidy to provinces to complete their portion of the highway to the required standards. two portions of ontario's route were eligible for this subsidy: highway 69 between parry sound and sudbury, and highway 17 along the north shore of lake superior.