The Ontario government has released its 30 year plan to build transportation and transit infrastructure in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) area. Connecting the GGH: A Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe outlines more than 100 immediate and near-term actions, including the construction of Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass.
An article in On-Site states that the Greater Golden Horseshoe is located at the western end of Lake Ontario. It stretches north to Georgian Bay, south to Lake Erie, west to Wellington County and Waterloo Region, east to the counties of Peterborough and Northumberland, and includes Toronto. The area is currently home to 10 million people and is one of the fastest growing regions in North America. It is expected to have a population of almost 15 million people over the next 30 years.
"As the region expands, it is important that the province invests in the necessary transportation infrastructure to accommodate the movement of the almost 5 million more people expected to reside here by 2051."
Executive director of Ontario Sewer & Watermain Construction Assn. | Patrick McManus
Bryan Hocking, CEO of the Ontario Road Builders Association stated that the Greater Golden Horsehoe needs large infrastructure projects such as:
- Widening of Highway 401
- Construction of Highway 413
- The Bradford Bypass
- Expansion of the GO Transit system
In addition to building new highways, the province also plans to move ahead with the largest subway build in Canadian history and expand regional passenger rail services.
"The announcement by the Ford government is another step forward in strengthening transit infrastructure in Ontario while generating thousands of jobs for our members and workers across the skilled-trades, while spurring economic development and competitiveness for the province."
LiUNA Intl vice president & regional manager of Central & Eastern Canada | Joseph Mancinelli
TVO reports that the plan largely amounts to a wish list of projects that have been proposed for years, with the philosophical goal of shifting the GGH's transit and highway networks from ones focused on funnelling commuters and goods into downtown Toronto to ones that allow for easier movement to and from different parts of the broader region.
Storeys states that the announcement of the latest infrastructure plan comes just 12 weeks before the provincial election. Ford committed to spending $82 Billion over the next decade on several transportation projects, including the Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass, expanded passenger rail service, new subway lines and expansions of several existing highways.
Simcoe County is expected to experience rapid population growth over the next 10 years, and York Region will grow to 1.79 million residents by 2041. The Bradford Bypass would relieve gridlock on existing east-west local roads between Highway 400 and Highway 404 and support development in Simcoe County and York Region.
According to the Ontario website, the plan includes over 100 immediate and near-term actions that the province and its partners are taking, and will take, to make substantial progress towards the 2051 Vision for Mobility. These actions are organized under the following seven goals:
- Actions to Fight Gridlock: including building new and faster route alternatives such as Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass
- Actions to Improve Transit Connectivity: including historic investments in transit such as the all-new Ontario Line, multiple subway extensions, regional Light Rail Transit projects, and work to provide and progressively electrify two-way, all-day 15 minute service across the GO Transit rail network
- Actions to Give Users More Choice: including bringing bus services to areas that are unserved
- Actions to Keep Goods Moving: including expanding truck parking locations and encouraging use of off-peak delivery
- Actions for a Safe and Inclusive Transportation System: including establishing a new funding program to support indigenous communities pursuing transportation related projects
- Actions to be Future Ready: including investing in electric vehicle production and exploring easier ways to get to and from transit stations using automated vehicle technologies
- Actions to address Connections Beyond the GGH: including expanding GO train service to the City of London and supporting work to re-introduce rail service to northeastern Ontario
Ontario is working to create a more resilient and environmentally sustainable transportation system, one that embraces innovation and technological change, adapts and responds to the potential risks associated with climate change and protects the environment for future generations.
