TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he is confident Prime Minister Mark Carney will ultimately support Ontario’s proposed Highway 401 tunnel, a project the Premier calls “national in scope” given the corridor’s role in trade and productivity.
While the 401 tunnel was not among the first five fast-tracked projects the federal government identified to bolster Canada’s economy amid U.S. tariffs, Premier Ford said he believes federal backing will come. “Considering it’s the busiest highway in North America, and 50 per cent of the GDP comes through Toronto, and gridlock is costing us $58 billion in lost productivity, I think it’s pretty national,” Ford said.
Recent discussion on Village Media’s Closer Look podcast examined the proposal’s feasibility and value-for-money. Professor Matti Siemiatycki, director of the University of Toronto’s Infrastructure Institute, noted that while a tunnel of this scale is likely buildable, the key questions are whether it best addresses congestion, how much it would cost, and whether better, lower-cost alternatives exist.
Premier Ford reiterated the province’s commitment to advancing solutions that reduce gridlock, support trade, and strengthen Ontario’s economic competitiveness, and said he looks forward to continued collaboration with the federal government on nationally significant infrastructure.