Conservative Party leader Doug Ford says he’ll build a tunnel expressway under Highway 401 to fight gridlock and create new jobs if he’s re-elected.
On Friday, Ford made a campaign stop in Scarborough where he announced plans to build a tunnel under the highway.
“A re-elected PC government will move forward with the largest infrastructure project in Ontario’s history, Canadian history and in North America. We’re going to build the 401 express tunnel. It will be the largest tunnel in the entire world,” he said in Scarborough today.
“The tunnel, which will include both vehicle and transit lanes, will extend beyond Brampton and Mississauga in the west, beyond Markham and Scarborough in the east,” he added.
The tunnel is part of the PC government’s $15-billion infrastructure investments and Ford says with President Trump’s looming tariff threat the province has to do all it can to improve the province’s economy.
He adds that the tunnel will create “thousands and thousands of jobs for years to come,” but it will take years to create.
“When finished, the 401 tunnel will unlock billions in economic growth and make the province’s economy more competitive.”
In addition to the tunnel, a re-elected PC government says it would invest $22 billion on transportation infrastructure projects, including:
- Moving up the Sheppard East subway extension to connect the TTC’s Line 4 with the Scarborough Subway Extension at Sheppard Ave. East and McCowan Road
- Rehabilitating Highway 401’s eastbound core and collector lanes from Victoria Park Avenue to Neilson Road, including adding an additional lane at the Kennedy Road interchange
- Rehabilitating Highway 401’s eastbound express lanes from Avenue Road to Ward Avenue, including bridge replacements at the Leslie Street and Bayview Avenue interchanges
The PCs say traffic in the province costs $56.4 billion every year and that travel times on the main stretch of the 401 through the GTHA will double by 2051 commutes increasing by 90 minutes, according to provincial modelling.
