Ontario Awards Feasibility Contract for Highway 401 Tunnel Plan

The Ontario government has awarded a $9.1 million contract to WSP Canada Inc. to conduct a feasibility study for the proposed Highway 401 tunnel, globalnews.ca reported on Nov. 7. The province had issued a request for proposals (RFP) in spring 2025.

In September 2024, the province announced the launch of a technical evaluation for construction of a new driver and transit tunnel expressway under Highway 401, one of the most congested roadways in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). It is envisioned that the project would reduce traffic and support economic growth in the region.

According to the Toronto Sun, Ontario Premier Doug Ford envisions the tunnel to be about 20 m wide with three levels – one for eastbound traffic, one for westbound traffic, and one for transit. The idea is for the tunnel to stretch from Brampton or Mississauga in the west to Scarborough or Markham in the east – on the order of 50 km, with the length to be determined by further study. An April report on globalnews.ca said that the study is expected to finish in February 2027.

The RFP specified that the study include alternatives to tunneling including an elevated highway, additional lanes, and truck-only lanes.

Ontario is currently experiencing unprecedented population growth, with more than 500,000 new residents in 2022 and projections forecasting an additional two million by 2031. Ministry of Transportation modeling projects that by 2051, travel times on the main stretch of Highway 401 will double with travel time taking 90 minutes longer on the 401 through the GTHA. The ministry’s modeling also shows that all of the province’s 400-series highways in the GTHA, including Highway 407, will be at or exceed capacity within the next decade. The numbers of hours lost in congestion will more than triple by 2051 if capacity is not added beyond the committed highway and rapid transit projects, adding to the $11 billion in annual lost productivity the region is already experiencing due to existing congestion.

“Ontario’s gridlock problem is leaving the average Toronto-area commuter stuck in traffic for 98 hours every year, taking up precious time that would be better spent with family, friends and loved ones, and is costing our economy $11 billion every year in the GTHA alone,” Premier Ford said in 2024 in announcing the launch of the technical evaluation.

RELATED: OSPE, TAC Statement on Highway 401 Tunnel Project