The Ontario government announced plans to increase the speed limit to 110 km/h on select sections of provincial highways, including significant portions of Highway 401 and Highway 403. This change, confirmed through a recent news release, will be implemented starting this summer.
The modifications will affect 10 highway sections across both southern and northern Ontario, excluding the Greater Toronto Area. Notably, the segments of Highway 403 between Brantford and Hamilton, and from Woodstock to Brantford, are slated for this increase.
The decision to raise the speed limits on these highways follows the successful implementation of similar increases on six highway sections in 2022. The province asserts that this measure not only aligns with the speed limits observed in other Canadian jurisdictions but also builds upon the proven safety of these roads. According to the government, extensive data from last year’s adjustments show that these highways can safely support speeds of 110 km/h.
Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria emphasized that these speed limit increases are based on solid evidence and are intended to enhance the convenience of driving in Ontario, aligning the province’s speed limits with those of other regions across Canada.
“Much of Ontario’s highway network was originally designed to safely accommodate speed limits of 110 km/h and data from our changes in 2022 show they do just that,” Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario’s minister of transportation, said in a written statement.
“These evidence-based increases are a common-sense change to make life more convenient for Ontario drivers while bringing our highway speed limits in line with other Canadian provinces.”
The new speed limits are set to be effective on the majority of these sections starting July 12, with the remaining adjustments expected to occur by the end of the year. Additional stretches of highways will also see increased limits, including more extensions on Highway 401 from Tilbury to the Quebec boundary and on highways 406, 416, and 69 towards northern destinations like Ottawa and Sudbury