Ontario Expands Highway 401 in Mississauga and Milton

News.ontario.ca
Dec. 12, 2022

The Ontario government has expanded Highway 401 with 18 kilometres of new lanes from Mississauga to Milton. The multi-lane expansion will help fight gridlock and keep goods and people moving across the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

“Highway 401 is the busiest and most congested highway in North America with approximately 180,000 vehicles on average per weekday from Credit River in Mississauga to Regional Road 25 in Milton,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “Widening Highway 401 is another step forward in our government’s plan to build Ontario with investments in our transportation system to reduce gridlock, improve economic productivity and get drivers home to their loved ones faster.”

The new lanes double or nearly double the previous six-lane Highway 401 and include:

• a 12-lane core-collector system from the Credit River to Winston Churchill Boulevard
• 10 lanes from Winston Churchill Boulevard to the Highway 407 ETR/Highway 401 interchange
• a 12-lane core-collector system from Highway 407 ETR/Highway 401 interchange to east of the James Snow Parkway
• 10 lanes from the James Snow Parkway to west of Regional Road 25
• one new median High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction
• an additional 50 spaces at the existing Mississauga Road carpool lot (now open)
• nine new, replaced or widened bridges

 

Expanding Highway 401 and adding HOV lanes in the Mississauga and Milton area are among the more than 100 actions identified in the government’s Connecting the GGH: A Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. This plan will address gridlock, create more prosperous communities, and support the rapid population growth expected for the region.

Quick Facts

• Approximately 180,000 vehicles and $930 million worth of goods per average weekday travel this section of Highway 401 from Credit River in Mississauga to Regional Road 25 in Milton.
• During construction, the Highway 401 widening project created over 400 jobs.
• From April 2022 to March 2023, the Ontario government is committing approximately $3 billion to repair and expand provincial highways and bridges.
• By 2051, population and employment figures in the Greater Golden Horseshoe are forecast to grow from 10 million to 14.9 million people, and 4.9 million to 7 million jobs, respectively.

The region is a nationally significant hub for goods movement and business travel that sees $1.16 trillion in goods transported annually on its highways.