Ontario law aims to fast-track critical highway projects

Key Takeaways:

• The Ontario government is introducing the Building Highways Faster Act, which aims to accelerate highway construction for key projects like Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass, and the Garden City Skyway bridge.
• The proposed legislation will streamline utility relocations, speed up property acquisitions, and allow 24/7 construction on priority highway projects to tackle traffic congestion more effectively.
• With Ontario’s population set to grow by 2 million residents by 2031, these changes are designed to expand highway capacity and address gridlock, which costs the economy $11 billion annually in lost productivity.

The Whole Story:

The Ontario government is introducing legislation that would, if passed, allow the province to build highways faster, getting drivers out of gridlock and where they need to go. The Building Highways Faster Act would designate priority highway projects to speed up construction, with Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass and the Garden City Skyway bridge all set to receive this designation.

“Every minute wasted in traffic is a minute that could be spent with friends, family, and the people who matter most,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “Our government understands how frustrating it is to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and the need to build highways and roads to help get people moving. That is why we’re moving forward with the common-sense changes, like 24/7 construction, proposed in this legislation.”

The act would streamline utility relocations, accelerate access to property and property acquisitions and introduce new penalties for obstructing access for field investigations or damaging equipment. The legislation would also allow regulation making authority to facilitate around-the-clock, 24/7 construction on priority highway projects.

“Ontario is experiencing unprecedented population growth, with an additional two million residents expected by 2031,” added Minister Sarkaria. “If we don’t accelerate an increase in capacity beyond our existing highway and rapid transit projects, all 400-series highways in the GTHA, including Highway 407, will be at or exceed capacity within the next decade.”

To further streamline the building process, the government is also proposing legislation that would create an accelerated environmental assessment process for Highway 413, allowing the province to proceed with early works while maintaining Ontario’s stringent oversight of environmental protections.

The government’s proposed changes are part of upcoming legislation that will kick off the fall sitting of the Ontario legislature on October 21, 2024, with a focus on tackling gridlock and getting drivers and commuters across Ontario out of traffic.

Toronto commuters face the longest travel times in North America, spending an average of 98 hours each year in rush-hour traffic, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade. The board says Gridlock on Ontario highways and roads costs the economy $11 billion annually in lost productivity.