The Ontario government is exploring the construction of a tunnel expressway beneath Highway 401, with the aim of alleviating traffic congestion in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), officials announced Wednesday. The underground route, designed for both cars and public transit, is expected to provide a faster alternative to some of the province’s busiest roadways, stretching from west of Brampton to east of Markham and Scarborough.
Premier Doug Ford emphasized the potential of the project to address the region’s gridlock, which costs the economy $11 billion annually and leaves Toronto-area commuters stuck in traffic for an average of 98 hours each year. “Today’s announcement is the latest step in our nearly $100 billion plan to tackle this gridlock by building and expanding highways and transit, including Highway 401, the Bradford Bypass, and Highway 413, so we can get people and goods moving across Ontario once more,” Ford said in a statement.
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO), in collaboration with Infrastructure Ontario, will lead the technical evaluation. The study will consider various design options, including the tunnel’s route, lane capacity, and interchanges with other highways. Engineering services will assess the economic impact of the project, with a particular focus on how it could reduce gridlock in the long term.
According to MTO modelling, travel times on the 401 through the GTHA are expected to double by 2051 without additional capacity, potentially adding 90 minutes to trips. The ministry also forecasts that all 400-series highways in the region will be at or beyond capacity within the next decade, underscoring the urgency of expanding road infrastructure to accommodate Ontario’s rapid growth.
“Commuters in Ontario deserve to spend time with their families, not stuck in bumper-to-bumper gridlock,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “Our government will continue to invest in building Ontario to make life more convenient and affordable for drivers and grow our economy for everyone.”
The feasibility study will also look at soil conditions and environmental factors along the proposed route. Initial consultations with First Nations communities are planned, as part of the early stages of the project, which will be aligned with the province’s Get It Done Act, 2024. Notably, the expressway is not expected to be tolled.
Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, highlighted the importance of the project for Ontario’s economic future, stating, “If we don’t expand and secure our trade corridors, Ontario’s economy will suffer while commuters and their families spend even more time stuck in traffic.”
As Toronto’s population swells — with more than 500,000 new residents arriving in 2022 alone — the need for infrastructure projects to reduce commute times has become increasingly critical. The tunnel expressway proposal is part of Ontario’s broader efforts to improve highway capacity, alongside projects such as the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413, which are expected to save drivers up to 35 minutes per trip once completed.
While the government has yet to finalize the details of the tunnel project, the move signals its commitment to long-term solutions for one of the region’s most pressing transportation challenges.