Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford says he plans to go ahead with construction of a 401 Tunnel Expressway if his party is re-elected.
Ford says the move would be part of a $1.5-billion infrastructure plan to fight gridlock, improve economic competitiveness and create new jobs.
“The Highway 401 tunnel expressway will include both vehicle and transit lanes and will extend beyond Brampton and Mississauga in the west to beyond Markham and Scarborough in the east. It will be one of the largest, most ambitious infrastructure projects in the world,” Ford said.
Ford says gridlock in Ontario costs the province’s economy $56.4 billion every year, adding that by 2051 travel times on Highway 401 will double. A study by the Ministry of Transportation says all of the province’s 400-series highways in the GTHA, including Highway 407, will be at or exceed capacity within the next decade.
Ford also announced several other infrastructure projects including moving up the Sheppard East subway extension to connect the TTC’s Line 4 with the Scarborough Subway Extension at Sheppard Avenue East and McCowan Road.
As well, Ford tells 680 NewsRadio that the much-maligned Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open in 2025.