With the possibility of an early election looming in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday his government will explore building a tunnel for drivers and transit beneath Highway 401 in the Greater Toronto Area.
An internal feasibility study by the Ministry of Transportation will look at the potential for a tunnel running from Brampton or Mississauga in the west to Scarborough or Markham in the east, Ford said. That’s a distance of roughly 55 kilometres.
The study would also estimate the total costs and timeframes associated with the tunnel, which would be one of the largest infrastructure projects in the world, he added.
“This tunnel and expressway will cut gridlock, support economic growth and help get people moving faster,” Ford said at a morning news conference in Etobicoke.
Ford said his government would be “transparent” about the potential costs of construction, though it has repeatedly refused to disclose the estimated costs of building Highway 413, which will connect Halton, Peel and York regions.
The announcement comes as Ford has hinted at an early election sometime next year. Ontario’s next scheduled election would be in the summer of 2026.
Traffic congestion throughout the GTA costs Ontario an estimated $11 billion in lost productivity annually, Ford said, citing statistics from the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
He added the Ministry of Transportation’s own figures suggest that within the next decade every 400-series highway in the GTA — including Highway 407, the longest stretch of which is privately owned — will be at capacity. Meanwhile, average travel times on Highway 401 are expected to double by 2051, adding an additional 90 minutes to many commutes, the ministry says.
“We can’t just sit by and let this happen. We need to keep building,” Ford said.
More to come.