Speed limit on stretches of Ontario 400-series highways now 110 km/h

Starting today, speed limits are now higher along a number of stretches of provincial highways, including Highway 401 and Highway 403.

Several sections of highways in both southern and northern Ontario have seen speeds increase from 100 km/h to 110 km/h, including a stretches in the Greater Toronto Area.

Highway 403, from Brantford to Hamilton and from Woodstock to Brantford are seeing speeds increase as of today.

The maximum speed on a 35-kilometre stretch of Highway 401 from Highway 35/115 to Cobourg is now also 110 km/h.

Speeds have been bumped up on six other stretches of roadway started today, including:

• Hwy 401 from Colborne to Belleville (approximately 44 km)
• Hwy 401 from Belleville to Kingston (approximately 66 km)
• Hwy 401 from Hwy 16 to Quebec boundary (approximately 107 km)
• Hwy 416 from Hwy 401 to Ottawa (approximately 70 km)
• Hwy 69 from Sudbury to French River (approximately 60 km)
• Hwy 401, Tilbury, extending the existing 110 km/h zone further east by 7 km

According to the province, the speed limit will increase on Hwy 406 from Thorold to Welland later this year.

The province previously said that the move “builds on the safe and successful increase to six sections of provincial highways in 2022.”

It notes that the changes also “align with posted speed limits in other jurisdictions” across the country.

“Much of Ontario’s highway network was originally designed to safely accommodate speed limits of 110 km/h and data from our changes in 2022 show they do just that,” Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario's minister of transportation, said in a written statement back in April.

“These evidence-based increases are a common-sense change to make life more convenient for Ontario drivers while bringing our highway speed limits in line with other Canadian provinces.”