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Ontario expanding high-occupancy toll lanes to Hwy. 427 extension

torontosun.com
March 3, 2016
By Antonella Artuso

Ontario will build high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along a new stretch of Hwy. 427.

The province has invited three shortlisted bidders to participate in a request for proposals to build a 6.6-km extension of Hwy. 427 from Hwy. 7 to Major Mackenzie Dr.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca also announced Hwy. 427 will be widened for 4 km from south of Albion Rd. to Hwy. 7.

The HOT lanes - electronic toll lanes that require drivers who are alone in their vehicles to pay to use them - will cover 15.5 km in both directions of Hwy. 427 from south of Hwy. 409 to north of Rutherford Rd.

The lanes will open in 2021.

“I do anticipate there will be additional HOTs across this region in years to come,” Del Duca said Thursday.

Ontarians will get their first look at the GTA HOT lanes this summer when the province sets up a pilot project along the QEW between Trafalgar Rd. and Guelph Line.

The ministry is still looking at the fee structure for the summer HOT pilot, Del Duca said.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes are supposed to encourage carpooling by offering a speedier route, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping the environment.

Electronic tolls allow lone-occupant vehicles to buy their way into the HOV lane, she said.

“It’ll help those who can pay to get into the HOT lanes,” Horwath said. “We’re concerned about the fairness - is it fair if you have deep pockets you can pay to get to work faster than if you’re of more modest means?"

Thursday’s announcement is part of a larger construction plan to bring HOV lanes to the region - lanes that can be converted to HOT lanes - which includes: