Categories: Lifestyle

Ontario widens 18 km of highway 401 & nearly doubles its lanes

North America’s busiest and most congested highway has undergone a major upgrade including 18 kilometres of new lanes and almost double its previous lanes.

The provincial government has announced the completion of its Highway 401 expansion project from Mississauga to Milton. And any driver in the area can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the multi-lane expansion will “help fight gridlock and keep goods and people moving across the Greater Golden Horseshoe.” AKA it’s about to be a lot less congested.

“Highway 401 is the busiest and most congested highway in North America with approximately 180,000 vehicles on average per weekday from Credit River in Mississauga to Regional Road 25 in Milton,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation.

“Widening Highway 401 is another step forward in our government’s plan to build Ontario with investments in our transportation system to reduce gridlock, improve economic productivity and get drivers home to their loved ones faster.”

Recent Posts:
There’s a new contemporary French bistro in Toronto & it’s in a warm, intimate setting
Toronto’s Bloor-Yonge station is getting a massive expansion & here’s what to know

Here’s a breakdown of what’s new on the 401:

  • 12-lane core-collector system from the Credit River to Winston Churchill Boulevard
  • 12-lane core-collector system from Highway 407 ETR/Highway 401 interchange to east of the James Snow Parkway
  • 10 lanes from Winston Churchill Boulevard to the Highway 407 ETR/Highway 401 interchange
  • 10 lanes from the James Snow Parkway to the west of Regional Road 25
  • A new median High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction
  • An additional 50 spaces at the existing Mississauga Road carpool lot (now open)
  • Nine new, replaced, or widened bridges
Photo via Government of Ontario

According to the provincial government, expanding Highway 401 and adding HOV lanes in the Mississauga and Milton area are among the more than 100 actions identified in its Connecting the GGH: A Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

Now it’s time to put it to the test. Fingers crossed rush hour is more of a breeze… Here’s to hoping.

Recent Posts

A look into Ontario’s September forecast for 2026

With the official halfway point of summer rapidly approaching, you might already be dreaming of…

9 minutes ago

The Vancouver Group Chat: What your friends are talking about this week (Aug. 4)

Welcome back to the Vancouver Group Chat, your easily scannable source for what's going on…

15 hours ago

The Toronto Group Chat: What your friends are talking about this week (August 4)

Hey, Toronto, what’s up?! Your group chat is popping off, and we’re here to keep…

16 hours ago

Escape the city lights at these incredible Alberta stargazing spots

Alberta has no shortage of beautiful views, but some of the best ones happen when…

16 hours ago

The Calgary Group Chat: What your friends are talking about this week (Aug. 4)

Welcome back to the Calgary Group Chat, where we do all the scrolling so you…

17 hours ago

10 festivals you won’t want to miss in Toronto this August

Toronto does summer right! There's no doubt that we know how to throw a good…

18 hours ago