Construction expected to start on Ontario Hwy. 413 in 2025

Ontario will start construction on Highway 413 next year, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday.

According to officials, the province is currently evaluating the ground’s composition and hopes to host a “market sounding event” in May with key stakeholders to discuss how to move construction forward “quickly and efficiency.”

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The government hopes to begin expediting land acquisitions in the fall, it says. Construction would start in 2025.

“Highway 413 is going to be a game changer for the region,” Ford said in Caledon, Ont. “We’re already starting field work in land acquisition. That will help make sure we get shovels in the ground on time.”

“I just want to say how excited I am about what Highway 413 is going to be for everyone.”

The six-lane, 52-kilometre highway has been a major campaign promise of Ford’s and has been stalled by the threat of federal environmental assessment.

Earlier this month the federal and provincial governments came to an agreement that would allow the project to move forward without being subject to the Impact Assessment Act for environmental review.

The proposed route would run from Halton to York Region, connecting highways 401, 407, and 410. The province expects the project to save commuters about 30 minutes in driving time when complete, reducing gridlock across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces potential start date for Highway 413 construction. (CTVNewsToronto.ca)

Advocates have said the highway will have long-term impacts on at least 29 federally-identified species at risk as well as multiple waterways, resulting in the loss of about 400 acres of Greenbelt land. They also refute the government’s claim that it will save commuters driving time, arguing that it will create more congestion in the region.

Farmers have also indicated concern, claiming the proposal “poses a major threat to farmland in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and thus the viability of the region’s agri-food sector.”

“Highway 413 is an environmental wrecking ball that’s going to pave over 2,000 acres of prime farmland, including 400 acres of the Greenbelt – all to save commuters a mere 30 seconds," Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said in a statement.

"Ontario Greens will keep fighting to stop Highway 413 and put forward real housing solutions that protect our farms, forests and wetlands from costly sprawl.”

• Ontario farmer could lose family farm due to Hwy. 413

In its joint statement agreeing to move forward with Highway 413, the federal and provincial governments committed to a “collaborative process to assess and manage the issues around federal species at risk throughout Ontario’s planning of the project.”

The cost of the project is also unclear. The government has yet to provide an estimate, saying only in its budget that it will spend $28 billion over 10 years on highways.

In November 2022, an auditor general report suggested the cost could be more than $4 billion. However the Ontario Liberals have previously said it’s likely closer to $10 billion.

The premier says the highway is expected to contribute $350 million to the province’s real GDP and support 3,500 jobs each year.