Building Ontario with Highway 413

New 400 series highway will relieve gridlock, create jobs, improve movement of goods, and save drivers commuting time

November 10, 2021

CALEDON VILLAGE —The Ontario government is moving forward with building Highway 413, a new 400-series highway and transit corridor across Halton, Peel and York regions. The highway will bring relief to the most congested corridor in North America and play a vital role in the province’s plan for economic recovery, growth, and job creation.

“With Halton, Peel and York regions all set to grow at incredible speed, our government is saying yes to building the roads and highways that will keep these communities moving,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Highway 413 will create thousands of jobs while saving commuters hours of gridlock every day. This project is a key part of our plan that’s building Ontario.”

Highway 413 will be a key factor in unlocking the potential of people and businesses in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), which is an economic driver for the province. In addition to reducing time on the road for drivers, including those taking goods to market, the highway will link growing regions, provide better connections to housing and jobs, and attract increased investment in auto manufacturing and other industries.

“Highway 413 will save drivers up to 30 minutes each way on their commute, adding up to one hour per day and five hours per week in people’s schedules. This relief will be the difference between sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic and having dinner with your family at home,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “As the population of the GGH surges, the new Highway 413 is an opportunity we cannot pass up. As part of our plan to build Ontario, our government is making historic investments in both public transit and highway infrastructure to get people, goods, and businesses moving.”

The corridor will extend from Highway 400 in the east to the Highway 401/407 express toll route (ETR) interchange area in the west and will include a four-to-six-lane 400 series highway, separate infrastructure dedicated for transit and passenger stations, and intelligent transportation and truck parking. Preliminary design of the preferred route has commenced for this essential project. During construction, Highway 413 is expected to support up to 3,500 jobs each year and generate up to $350 million in annual real gross domestic product (GDP).

“Investing in transportation infrastructure, like Highway 413, will not only improve our productivity and encourage economic growth by allowing goods to get to market faster, it will also have a measurable impact on the quality of life for Ontario drivers so they can spend more time with friends and family,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance. “That is why we are building the highways that will get Ontario drivers out of gridlock. Ontario is growing — and the province’s transportation network needs to grow with it.”

On November 4, the government released the 2021 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: Build Ontario. The plan lays out how the government will build the foundation for Ontario’s recovery and prosperity by getting shovels in the ground on critical infrastructure, attracting increased investment, restoring leadership in auto manufacturing and other industries, and supporting Ontario workers. The plan also protects Ontario’s progress against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quick Facts

As part of the 2021 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: Build Ontario, the government committed to expand and repair highways and bridges and spur economic growth. The government has allocated approximately $2.6 billion in funding for 2021–22 in support of the Ontario Highways Program, which features more than 580 expansion and rehabilitation projects, including funding to advance Highway 413.
One of the fastest growing regions in North America, the GGH is expected to attract one million new people every five years, reaching nearly 15 million by 2051. Addressing transportation needs in the region is essential to the competitiveness of the economy.
By 2031, the overall traffic on this route is expected to exceed 300,000 vehicle trips per day while cutting commute times by up to 30 minutes for someone travelling the full length of the route when compared to the time it would take via Highways 401 and 400.
Upcoming Public Information Centres (PICs) will be held in December 2021 for public feedback on the project. In addition, Indigenous communities and the public will continue to have opportunities to provide input into the design of the proposed Highway 413 and Community Value Plans will be developed.
Ontario’s economy is recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and is poised to keep growing. For 2021–22, the government is projecting a deficit of $21.5 billion, $11.6 billion lower than the outlook published in the 2021 Budget. This improvement reflects a stronger economic growth outlook, as well as more recent information about the impact of COVID-19 on the province’s finances.

Quotes

“Highway 413 represents a crucial, long-term investment for the Province of Ontario, which will attract future investment and jobs. Highway 413 will fill infrastructure gaps in Ontario’s roadway links to the benefit of the province’s transportation and logistics hubs in the Northwestern GTA that serve as the epicentre of Canada’s supply chain. The highway will also provide congestion relief for Highway 401 and add redundancy to the GTA’s 400-series network, significantly improving transit times for goods movement by truck and access to Central and Northern Ontario while strengthening the connection for Canada’s busiest truck-rail intermodal facilities. Highway 413 is not only a fundamental piece of infrastructure, it’s a key part of Ontario’s success in the future. ”

– Stephen Laskowski
President, Ontario Trucking Association

“ORBA supports the construction of Highway 413, building infrastructure is a critical part of Ontario’s long-term economic plan, and even more important to our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The population of the GTA is expected to hit 9.9 million by 2045. We must begin to build the necessary infrastructure today so we can be ready to meet this challenge in the future.”

– Bryan Hocking
Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Road Builders’ Association

“For manufacturers, an efficient transportation network that facilitates the efficient movement of goods and employees to and from their operations, is critical to success. Congested highways around GTA continue to put manufacturing in the region at a disadvantage by increasing costs of shipments, creating uncertainty in delivery times, lengthening commute times for employees, and negatively impacting our environment. CME strongly support investments, such as the 413, that will improve the movement of goods and people throughout the region and reduce waste and inefficiencies.”

– Mathew Wilson
Senior Vice President, Policy, Government Relations & Ontario Division Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters