PC Leader Doug Ford is pledging to push forward with plans to build a tunnel under Highway 401 to tackle gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area, with a price tag that is yet to be determined.
As the incumbent premier, Ford has previously spoken in favour of building an underground expressway beneath the 401 to expand its capacity for drivers and transit.
At a news conference Friday, Ford said a re-elected Progressive Conservative would make the plan a reality.
“The easiest way to know if someone commutes on the 401, ask them what they think about building a tunnel,” Ford said.
“These hard working families, they just want to get to work, get to soccer practice after work, get home, without the headache of bumper-to-bumper traffic from one end of the 401 to the other.”
Asked how much the project would cost, Ford didn’t provide a precise figure but said the party is undertaking a feasibility study.
“We have the skill set, we have the expertise, we’re going to get that tunnel built,” he said.
“We’re just waiting for the experts to come back and say, ‘this is what it’s gonna cost per kilometre.'”
Ford argued the tunnel will be worth it because gridlock costs the province’s economy billions of dollars every year