Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government is considering buying back Highway 407, which runs across the Greater Toronto Area.
The Mike Harris Progressive Conservative government sold Highway 407 in 1999 for $3.1 billion dollars to a consortium that included SNC Lavalin, Quebec’s provincial pension fund and Spanish company Ferrovial.
“Let’s see what they have to say. Let’s look at the 407 as well. All options are on the table,” he said.
“Let’s look at both options as well because we know the 407 is going to be totally jammed in the next 20 years. Let’s look at all options.”
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The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 50.01 per cent of 407 ETR, which runs the tolled highway.
The province owns a 22-kilometre stretch on the highway’s eastern flank and tolls drivers at a significantly cheaper rate than the private portion of the highway.
Ford is also doubling down on his idea to build an expressway tunnel underneath Highway 401 across the GTA, after announcing the launch of a feasibility study on it last week in an effort to reduce gridlock.
Furthermore, Ford said directed his minister of transportation to raise the speed limit on all 400-series highways to 110 km/h “where it is safe to do so.”
He didn’t offer details on which stretches of highway would see speed limit changes. His government raised the speed limit on 10 sections of provincial highway in July after doing so elsewhere in the province in 2022.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
