Ford doubles down on plans to buy back Hwy. 407

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is sounding more confident about two major transportation proposals that could relieve congestion at a hefty cost to taxpayers.

On Friday, the premier signaled that he wants to go forward with a proposed plan to build a tunnel under Highway 401.

“We plan on building that infrastructure,” Ford told reporters. “These aren’t two-year projects, they’re 10 to 15-year projects … we need to be ready when all the 400 series highways are at capacity.”

While nothing is set in stone, the premier says he wants to move ahead with an environmental assessment of the proposed project. A “market sounding exercise” is also expected to take place in the coming weeks to assess the project’s feasibility.

Experts like Dr. Shoshanna Saxe, an associate professor in the University of Toronto’s department of civil and mineral engineering, says the project could cost taxpayers $1 billion per kilometre. However, the government has not released any cost estimates or information about the exact route or length of the tunnel.

“It could certainly be more than that,” Saxe said of her $55 billion projection, adding that most of the cost would be associated with the construction of the tunnel itself. “So the materials you need for construction, the people who work on the construction, the tunnel boring machines. Some money needs to be spent on planning.”

Meanwhile, the premier said he is also warming up to the idea of buying back Highway 407, which has been privately operated under a 99-year lease agreement since 1999.

So far, Ford says he has not met with any of the corporation’s executives, but that a conversation is needed.

“I have not yet,” the premier said. “I think it’s time to sit down with them and really take a look at different options.”

However, some critics say Ford is dragging his feet instead of working towards a quick solution.

“Empty promises are not going to get traffic moving,” Ontario NDP Leader Marite Stiles wrote in a statement. “People are losing time and money stuck in traffic, while Doug Ford and his Conservatives continue to do nothing.”

“They have had seven years to do the right thing and open up the underused 407 for more drivers and get us out of this ridiculous contract,” she added. “We need solutions, now – not decades from now … people are tired of waiting.”

In March 2024, the Conservatives voted down an NDP motion that called for the removal of tolls on Highway 407 for truckers, which Stiles argues would have eased congestion on Highway 401 and saved truckers tens of thousands of dollars.

The Mike Harris government sold Highway 407 in 1999 for $3.1 billion to a consortium that included SNC Lavalin, Quebec’s provincial pension fund, and Spanish company Ferrovial.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 50.01 per cent of 407 ETR, the organization which runs the tolled highway.

The province still owns a 22-kilometre stretch on the highway’s eastern flank and drivers pay a significantly cheaper toll than the private portion of the highway.