By Robin MacLennan
Ontario Construction Report staff writer
Design work on Highway 413 is now 90 per cent complete, marking a significant milestone in the development of the project.
The announcement was made as an ongoing contract dispute continues between the government and the Professional Engineers Government of Ontario. The union has escalated job action, removing technical engineers from the Bradford Bypass and Highway 11 projects.
Highway 413 will run from Highway 400 in the east to Highway 401/407 interchange in the west, connecting the regions of York, Peel and Halton while helping the province fight gridlock, create jobs and prepare for a growing population.
Construction is expected to start next year, Premier Doug Ford has said, calling the project a “game changer for the region” that would reduce travel times in “one of the most congested corridors in North America.”
Work on the highway will create 3,500 construction jobs each year that it’s being built, the premier said.
“Highway 413 will help meet the needs of our growing province as a prosperity corridor that will create thousands of good-paying union jobs during the construction phase and make life easier and more convenient for millions of drivers in the GTA and across Ontario,” he said.
According to a news release workers have been doing fieldwork including borehole drilling and engineering to evaluate soil composition and bedrock depth for the construction route.
Also, the province has identified 113 full and 57 partial properties that are no longer required for construction and will be returned to owners in the coming months, with the remaining land set to be released in early 2025.
The province has also finalized the design of key highway structures, including interchanges and crossings, and will now begin releasing land that will no longer be required for construction. This includes land previously needed for farming, residential, and business use.
This announcement comes amid new research from the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis, which found that gridlock in Ontario is severely impacting commuters and costing the economy $56 billion annually. This underscores the importance of moving forward with critical infrastructure projects like Highway 413.
In November, the Ontario legislature passed the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, which enables the government to accelerate construction of Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass, and the Garden City Skyway Bridge Twinning project. The new legislation also streamlines the environmental assessment process for Highway 413.
Once completed, Highway 413 is expected to contribute $350 million annually to Ontario’s GDP and will connect major highways, running from Highway 400 in the east to the Highway 401/407 interchange in the west, linking the regions of York, Peel, and Halton.