Ontario Premier Doug Ford is ramping up pressure on Ottawa to make his ambitious Highway 401 tunnel vision a reality. Ford is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to add the massive three-level tunnel project to the list of federally recognized “national interest” projects — a move that could dramatically speed up its construction.
The proposed tunnel would stretch from the Mississauga/Brampton area in the west to Scarborough/Markham in the east, featuring separate levels for westbound cars, eastbound cars, and a dedicated transit corridor. Ford has repeatedly pitched the plan as a game-changer for Ontario, saying it will slash commute times, unclog the country’s busiest highway, and improve the flow of goods to market. “It’s a vision and it works,” Ford said earlier, adding that gridlock is costing the province $58 billion a year in lost productivity.
Ford expressed optimism that the tunnel will eventually make the federal list, noting that only one of his five recommended projects — a new Darlington nuclear facility — was chosen in the first batch. He expects the Ring of Fire mining project to be selected next, and insists the 401 tunnel is “pretty national,” hinting that Carney’s government will eventually recognize its importance.
Under the federal government’s new Building Canada Act, projects given “national interest” status benefit from a streamlined approval process, a maximum two-year review timeline, and closer federal-provincial collaboration through a “one project, one review” system. Ford argues that this designation is key to cutting through red tape and getting shovels in the ground faster, turning what is now just a bold vision into a transformative infrastructure project for the entire GTA.