Ontario Construction News Staff writer
Construction is completed on an eight-kilometre stretch of Highway 401 in Cambridge.
“Highway 401 is the busiest and most congested highway in North America with up to 150,000 vehicles travelling between Highway 8 and Townline Road every day,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, minister of transportation. “The Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area is among the fastest growing of any large municipality in Canada and expanding Highway 401 in Cambridge will reduce gridlock, enhance safety, boost our economy, and get drivers home to their loved ones faster.”
The expansion to 10 from six lanes includes one HOV lane in each direction, and:
- replacing the Hespeler Road Bridges
- a new multi-use trail crossing for pedestrians and cyclists along Hespeler Road over Highway 401
- reconstruction of the Hespeler Road interchange
- rehabilitation of the Townline Road Bridge
- expanding the capacity of the Townline Road commuter parking lot from 195 to 297 vehicles
- new lighting and noise barriers
- a traffic management system which includes traffic cameras and traffic counting stations
“Today, we celebrate the successful completion of the Highway 401 expansion in Cambridge—a crucial step in continuing to deliver on our plan to build Ontario,” said Jess Dixon, MPP for Kitchener South – Hespler. “This is great news for the growing communities across the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area and will keep goods and people moving efficiently across Southwestern Ontario for generations to come.”
Expanding Highway 401 and adding HOV lanes in the Cambridge area are among the more than 100 actions identified in the government’s Connecting the GGH: A Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. This plan will address gridlock, create more prosperous communities, and support the rapid population growth expected for the region.
From April 2023 to March 2024, the Ontario government plans to spend about $3.2 billion to repair and expand provincial highways and bridges.
“This is an exciting day for residents of Cambridge, Kitchener, and beyond as they welcome the expansion and new amenities on this critical piece of highway and transportation infrastructure in our region,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.