Speed limits on select stretches of three Ontario highways will be increased to 110 km/h as of Thursday, as the government kicks off a two-year pilot project.
Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney revealed on Tuesday that the posted speed limit will be raised on parts of the Queen Elizabeth Way, Highway 402 and Highway 417.
The three locations that were chosen don’t require infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the higher speed limits, Mulroney said, because there’s “enough room” between the interchanges to allow for a higher speed.
“We believe that these are the right areas to choose,” Mulroney said, adding that they worked with police to select portions of Ontario highways where the limits would be increased.
“These three locations were selected after a lot of work and diligence.”
In launching the pilot project, Ontario follows the lead of six other provinces including Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan, which have steadily increased limits to 110 km/h over the past two decades.
In British Columbia, speed limits were increased in 2014 to 120km/h, but were quickly rolled back after politicians noted a corresponding increase in serious collisions on certain routes.
Here are the changes:
- Highway 402 from London to Sarnia
- QEW from St. Catharines to Hamilton
- Highway 417 from Ottawa to the Ontario-Quebec border
