Commuters who drive to Toronto along Highway 401 and pass through Milton and Mississauga may have noticed heavy construction since crews began working on an expansion project in October 2019.
Now, the construction has mostly wrapped up, with 18 kilometres of new lanes from Mississauga to Milton officially open.
“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 in a news release. “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, and includes one new median high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction.
A spokesperson from the ministry said all lanes, including HOV lanes, are now open to traffic, however, there will continue to be some periodic nightly lane closures as some work will continue in 2023.
The project came with an estimated price tag of $640 million, according to the province.
On average, approximately 180,000 vehicles and $930 million worth of goods travel this section of Highway 401 daily from Credit River in Mississauga to Regional Road 25 in Milton, the province said.
