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Ontario Advances Three-Level 401 Tunnel Plan and Explores Truck Toll Subsidies on 407

Premier Doug Ford is proceeding with an unawarded feasibility RFP for a three-level Highway 401 tunnel despite past internal warnings of collapse risk.

Overview

  • The government has issued a spring RFP for a 19.5-metre-wide, three-level tunnel under Highway 401 but has yet to award the feasibility study contract.
  • Doug Ford has dismissed a 2021 internal analysis that flagged “risks to public safety” and potential roadway collapse as outdated, insisting the tunnel can be built safely.
  • Planned tunnel dimensions include upper levels for eastbound and westbound traffic and a lower deck reserved for rapid transit.
  • Opposition leaders and experts such as Matti Siemiatycki have demanded the release of shelved studies and urged investment in proven transit and congestion-management measures instead of a massive tunnel.
  • Newly obtained documents show officials directed staff to examine subsidizing commercial truck tolls on Highway 407 as a complementary strategy to divert traffic and alleviate gridlock.