History of the Highway
The need for a freeway class road connection between Ottawa and Highway 401 was first identified in 1966 by the Eastern Ontario Highway Planning Study undertaken by the then Ontario Department of Highways. The construction of the first stage included 57 km of Highway 16, a two lane link from Highway 401 to Century Road which would become the future Northbound lanes (NBL) of Highway 416 South. This first stage was completed in various funding phases between 1969 and 1983.
From Century Road northerly to Highway 417 in Ottawa, the Highway 416 - Veterans Memorial Highway is commonly referred to as Highway 416 North. This 21 km section involved a new alignment which was classified as a Group "A" Study - a formal Environmental Assessment, and was approved by the Minister of the Environment in the mid-1980s.
Highway 416 South was classified as a Group "B" project falling under the Ministry's Provincial Highways Class Environmental Assessment Process since most of the property requirements were previously purchased. The detailed design and Environmental Study Reports were completed by various consultants between 1990 and 1993 with the assistance of the public, agencies, various governments and Ministry staff.
The freeway projects were put on "hold" due to funding constraints from 1993 to 1995. Limited funding did permit the construction of some advance structures and service roads between 1993 and 1995. This holding period provided the Ministry a rare opportunity to search the entire project for improvements to reduce costs while maintaining safety and value. The Ministry conducted an internal value improvement review in 1994/95 of: interchange configurations, bridge types (post tension vs girders), structure cross-sections, structure optimization and contract delivery options such as design/build.
A team of consultants and a large contractor, in conjunction with the Ministry completed a "Value Engineering Overview" to investigate additional options for improving value. In addition to reviewing the previous work, the team analysed alignment, median widths, cross-sections, pavement depths, and new procedures/specifications. The overview was an excellent experience for both the owner and industry in regards to safety, lower life cycle costs, value, environment, funding and aesthetics. The results of these reviews indicated the project could be delivered on the year 2000 schedule with potential savings of $7 million.
Construction of the North was completed by the provincial government between 1989 and 1997 for approximately $196 million. On December 8, 1995, the Provincial and Federal governments came to a cost sharing agreement to complete Highway 416 South by 2000 for a total estimated cost of $127 million. The federal government agreed to pay 42.3 million with the province paying the remaining 86.6 million. The total value of Highway 416 - Veterans Memorial Highway was originally estimated at $337 million dollars, but will come under budget by at least $14 million.
On July 31, 1997, the Minister of Transportation announced that Highway 416 - Veterans Memorial Highway's completion date would be accelerated from the year 2000 to the year 1999, weather permitting.
Highway 416 - Veteran's Memorial Highway was officially opened on September 23, 1999, one year ahead of schedule and $14 million under budget.
