Ontario opening 10-km expansion of Hwy. 427 into Vaughan Sept. 18
The improvement will save commuters up to 25 minutes
Yorkregion.com
Sept. 17, 2021
Dina Al-Shibeeb
Ontario opening a 10-kilometre expansion of Highway 427 from Finch Avenue to Major Mackenzie Drive is expected to save commuters up to 25 minutes, a government media release said Sept. 16.
“The Highway 427 expansion will greatly benefit the people of Vaughan-Woodbridge,” said MPP Michael Tibollo.
“Not only will it help take vehicles causing crippling gridlock off our local roads, but it will also make our community safer while reducing travel times for commuters and commercial vehicles,” he added.
The extension, which serves as a heavily-used commuter route to the City of Vaughan and neighbouring communities, will have two interchanges near the Vaughan Intermodal facility to accommodate long combination vehicles, making it easier for trucks to manoeuvre and support the efficient movement of goods across the province and beyond.
The release said that the time saved -- up to 25 minutes of total travel time -- is for a two-way trip during peak periods compared to driving along parallel municipal roadways.
Ontario will also be opening one high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction of Highway 427 to further help improve traffic flow. The new northbound HOV lane will be located between Highway 409 and Rutherford Road. The southbound HOV lane will start north of Rutherford Road and connect to an existing HOV lane south of Finch Avenue.
Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney said the extension is part of the government’s vision for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
“Our government is investing in highway infrastructure to address congestion and keep up with the growing needs of Ontarians,” Mulroney added.
Construction of the extension has yielded about 1,000 jobs, which were sustained from 2018 to 2021.
Also, to protect species at risk impacted by the project’s construction, according to the release, the ministry completed a 3.20-hectare woodland restoration of a former agricultural field on the east side of the highway, just north of Rutherford Road, and installed 20 habitat structures for four species of bats.
The ministry of transportation and Infrastructure Ontario worked together using a public-private partnership (P3) delivery model.
King-Vaughan MPP Stephen Lecce said the government is “expanding subways in York, improving all GO stations in King and Vaughan, and completing the Highway 427 expansion to reduce congestion and get people moving.”
He added: “This expansion is critical to supporting families, commuters and small businesses who need to efficiently move across the GTA without the headache of debilitating gridlock."