Ontario Premier Doug Ford is reaffirming his pledge to construct an expressway tunnel beneath Highway 401, but says he’s also considering buying back the privately owned section of Highway 407.
All options are “on the table” to deal with congested roads in the Toronto region, Ford said at an unrelated Oct. 2 press conference. Those options could include buying back the lightly travelled 407 or paying for trucks to travel on it to clear gridlock on the 401.
Even if the province did fork over the money needed to purchase the privately owned section between Burlington and Pickering, it would not be a permanent solution, Ford said.
“The Trucking Association said, even if we did that, the 407 is going to be at full capacity in another 20 some odd years,” Ford said. “We’ve got to think down the road … and build something that will last for 50 to 100 years.”
The Progressive Conservative government sold Highway 407 in 1999 for $3.1 billion to a consortium that included SNC Lavalin, the pension fund of Quebec, and the Spanish company Ferrovial.
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board currently owns 50.01 percent of 407 ETR, which operates the tolled highway.
The province, which owns a 22-kilometre stretch of the 407 East, offers a significantly cheaper rate than the private portion of the highway.
A decision won’t be made on purchasing Highway 407 until the feasibility study into the project, announced by the province last week, is complete, Ford said. The study will also be used to determine how long the tunnel will be, the premier said previously, noting that it could stretch from Mississauga in the west to Markham in the east.
When questioned by reporters about the affordability of the project, Ford said the province will do its due diligence before any digging starts.
He said he spoke with two different construction experts about building the expressway above ground, but was told by both of them it would be a logistical headache.
“They both came back separately with the same answer,” he said. “You'd have to shut down the 401, totally. If you built on top of it, the maintenance would be a nightmare. You couldn’t work when it’s snowing or raining out.”
Digging a tunnel would be either equally or less expensive than working above ground and the weather wouldn’t be a factor, Ford said.
The premier said his government has been looking at similar projects in other parts of the world, like Spain, where project costs are cheaper. He said the Spain project is one-fifth the cost of local projections. He said he is looking to construction experts to explain the cost difference.
The province is conducting soil boring tests and environmental assessments in conjunction with research on how the proposed tunnel will impact both traffic congestion and the economy.
Ford has said the feasibility study and testing results will be announced publicly once complete.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
