Widened Hwy 401 will have HOV lanes for taxis, electric cars and buses between Hwys 8 and 24

CAMBRIDGE — It'll be the widest stretch of Highway 401 outside the Toronto area when widening through Waterloo Region is complete in mid-2019.

Commuters can look forward to five years of construction woes and slowdowns for the project that aims to ease traffic headaches along the 4.2-kilometre stretch of the 401 between Hespeler Road and Highway 8. The work will add four lanes, making that section of the superhighway a sprawling 10 lanes wide.

The project includes two high-occupancy vehicle lanes reserved for vehicles with two or more occupants, buses, taxis and electric vehicles.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca was at a highway construction yard in Cambridge Monday afternoon to announce the start of the project, along with Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig, Cambridge MPP Kathryn McGarry and Kitchener Centre MPP Daiene Vernile. The project was first announced in the 2013 budget.

"Highway improvements help make Ontario's highways safer, they reduce congestion and promote the economy," said Del Duca.

"This $112-million investment will help improve traffic flow, meaning fewer delays for commuters on this stretch of highway," he added. "As a result it will create opportunities for business, and accommodate population and employment growth."

Craig pointed out that the 401 is a crucial economic lifeline for Waterloo Region, providing access to 150 million people in the northern United States and Canada within a day's drive.

The highway is no treat for commuters now, Vernile said. "I'm commuting on this highway just as you do, and whether it's first thing in the morning or in rush-hour traffic in the afternoon, you know this highway right here becomes choked with traffic. So seeing it going from six lanes to 10 lanes is going to mean that people are going to get to work faster, and that people are going to get home to their families sooner."

The high-occupancy vehicle lanes encourage carpooling, Del Duca said, and use of the lanes is steadily increasing in the more than 90 kilometres of highway that feature them.

"By adding in the HOV lanes here, it will certainly give people in this region the opportunity to carpool and to relieve some of the congestion as we've seen in other parts of the province.

Del Duca offered no commitments on other key transportation needs locally, such as an improved interchange at Highway 8 and the 401 to ease access to the westbound 401, something manufacturers such as Toyota have requested for years.

But there appears to be some progress on Cambridge's efforts to get GO train service. Craig will be presenting the minister with a business case for GO train service at a meeting on July 28, with a report prepared by City of Cambridge traffic, economic development and other staff.

Craig said the situation is looking "more than promising," with several other mayors in communities such as Milton and Mississauga also onside. "We're all singing from the same songbook here."

Del Duca made no promises, but said he hoped to be back in the region, "probably sometime in the fall" for an update on GO service.

Source: Widened Hwy 401 will have HOV lanes for taxis, electric cars and buses between Hwys 8 and 24