401 Improvements Mean Reduced Congestion For Ontarians
LONDON —The governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of London today announced the start of construction to widen and improve Highway 401 in London, which leads to Canada’s two busiest international border crossings at Windsor and Sarnia.
Joe Preston, MP (Elgin-Middlesex-London), on behalf of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, the Ontario Labour Minister and MPP (Elgin-Middlesex-London) Steven Peters on behalf of Ontario Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield, and City of London Acting Mayor Tom Gosnell were on hand for the announcement.
“The Government of Canada is continually looking for ways to better Canadians’ quality of life,” said Mr. Preston on behalf of Minister Cannon. “Infrastructure improvements like this one help reduce traffic congestion, cutting the time Canadians have to spend in their cars and reducing pollution.”
“We’re on the side of Ontarians who want to get to their destination quickly and safely. More than 42,000 cars and 14,700 trucks cross the Sarnia and Windsor international borders every day,” said Mr. Peters. “That adds up to about $164 billion in imports and exports every year. We want to move people and goods faster, create jobs and build a stronger economy.”
“This updated interchange is great news for London’s economy as it promises to ease traffic congestion and provide our business community with significantly enhanced access to the 401 trade corridor and the United States border,” said Mr. Gosnell. “And, by partnering with the province and the federal government on this infrastructure fund project, we’re also reinforcing London’s Transportation Master Plan and Industrial Land Strategy.”
Aecon Construction will start construction immediately this week, and expects to complete it by 2007. This investment of more than $36 million is being cost-shared by the governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of London
Highway 401 is being widened from west of Highway 402 easterly to Wellington Road in London to improve traffic flow and safety in the area. Improvements include:
- widening Highway 401 from four to six lanes to improve traffic flow
- rebuilding the Wellington Road interchange ramps to improve safety
- building a new Wellington Road bridge to accommodate a wider roadway
- improving the Dingman Creek bridge to accommodate the widening of Highway 401
- installing new lighting to improve safety; and
- installing a new changeable message sign to provide road and traffic information to the traveling public.
In addition, the governments of Canada and Ontario are investing $285 million in the five-phase widening of Highway 401 from Windsor to Tilbury. Phases 2 and 3 of this project, costing more than $112 million, are now under way, and include improvements to Highway 401 on a 10 kilometre stretch between Puce Road and Manning Road and a 10-kilometre stretch between Highway 77 and Essex Road 27.
The Government of Canada’s funding for the London project comes from the $600-million Border Infrastructure Fund. The fund is designed for projects that reduce border congestion, improve the flow of goods and services, and expand infrastructure over the medium term.
This year, the McGuinty government is investing over $1.4 billion in highway improvements through its five-year ReNew Ontario infrastructure investment plan. The Ontario government has allocated an additional $400 million under Move Ontario, which municipalities may use for improvements to municipal roads and bridges. These investments will strengthen Ontario’s economic advantage and create opportunities for Ontario businesses and people.
