News Release: SuperBuild Investment in Highway 401 Improvements Will Benefit GTA Commuters

For Immediate Release
April 12, 2002

SuperBuild Investment in Highway 401 Improvements Will Benefit GTA Commuters

TORONTO — A $28 million project to reconstruct and upgrade 6.4 kilometres of the Highway 401 eastbound express lanes in the west end of Toronto was announced today by Transportation Minister Brad Clark, Finance Minister and Minister responsible for SuperBuild Jim Flaherty and Etobicoke North MPP John Hastings.

"Our government's record investment in highway infrastructure is fueling economic growth throughout Ontario," Clark said. "When completed, this project will improve traffic flow, enhance road safety and encourage economic expansion."

The contract was awarded to Dufferin Construction Company of Oakville, Ontario. This project involves reconstruction of the eastbound express lanes from Kipling Avenue to east of Jane Street. Work also includes construction of a continuous eastbound auxiliary lane in the express lanes from Highway 409 to Highway 400, installation of a new tall wall concrete median barrier, structural repairs to nine highway overpasses, upgraded signage and installation of new high mast lighting.

Work is anticipated to be complete in the summer of 2004.

"This work is part of a multi-year program to upgrade Highway 401 in the Toronto area," Hastings said. "The government recognizes that improving this stretch of highway supports job creation and business investment in Toronto and the GTA, while creating a safer driving environment for hundreds of thousands of daily commuters."

"Strategic highway investments will keep Ontario's economy rolling," Minister of Labour and Etobicoke Centre MPP Chris Stockwell said. "Our government has invested at record levels to ensure that 401 and highways across the province continue to keep people and goods moving safely and efficiently."

"The government recognizes that timely repairs to highway infrastructure on key highways such as Highway 401 is a priority," Etobicoke-Lakeshore MPP Morley Kells said. "These improvements will enhance our transportation system and prolong the operational life of this highway and its structures."

"When this project is done, it will improve the movement of people and goods from Mississauga and Brampton," Bramalea-Gore-Malton-Springdale MPP Raminder Gill said. "Our government is committed to a strong and efficient transportation network."

This investment is part of the government's five-year, $20-billion SuperBuild initiative designed to facilitate the largest infrastructure-building program in Ontario's history. Since 1995, the Ontario government has invested about $6.5 billion in highway capital projects.

"Through SuperBuild, we are making the province's highways safer and more accessible for the people of Ontario," Flaherty said. "Projects like these are key to modernizing and upgrading the province's infrastructure."