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70-542: The Bradford Bypass , also known as the Highway 400–404 Link is a proposed east–west 400-series highway in the northern Greater Toronto Area of the Canadian province of Ontario . The approximately 16.2-kilometre (10.1 mi) route is currently undergoing planning and analysis under an environmental impact assessment (EA) by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) and

140-529: A Toronto Star investigation into the Bypass found that the proposed modification to the route would remove it from a golf course jointly owned by the father of MPP Stan Cho , associate minister of transportation. Cho responded that the conflict of interest had been declared, and that he did not take part in any work connected to the Bypass. In February 2022, the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario found there

210-549: A 400-series highway may be built where the existing highway's traffic counts fall below 10,000. The MTO plans and finances the construction and maintenance of the King's Highway system, which includes the 400-series network. The system includes 1,971.8 kilometres (1,225.2 mi) of freeways. Highway 401 is the longest freeway at 828.0 kilometres (514.5 mi), in addition to being the widest and busiest road in Canada. Highway 420

280-548: A central concrete barrier. The proposed route of the Bradford Bypass would have it begin in the west at a freeway-to-freeway interchange with Highway   400, midway between the 8th Line and 9th Line of Bradford West Gwillimbury . From there the four-lane rural highway would proceed east, crossing the 10th Sideroad and encountering an interchange with the northern section of Yonge Street (formerly Highway   11 and presently Simcoe County Road 4 ) immediately north of

350-652: A creek that runs along Vandorf Sideroad and into Weslie Creek. Despite concerns of a lack of water, construction of several locks was started along the river between Newmarket and Holland Landing as part of a 'Holland River Canal' that would have joined Newmarket to the Trent-Severn Waterway . There is one lock in each of those places along with another at Rogers Reservoir in East Gwillimbury . Rogers Reservoir and Fairy Lake in Newmarket were to act as reservoirs for

420-511: A federal EA would not take place for the Bradford Bypass, while the GTA West project would undergo this process. In February 2022, the federal government reiterated that the project would not undergo a federal EA , despite requests from environmental groups. In April and May 2021, a virtual public consultation regarding design alternatives for refinements to the route identified in the 2002 EA took place. Proposed changes included realigning

490-636: A freeway-to-freeway interchange Highway   404. The Holland Marsh is a Provincially Significant Wetland, portions of which are also designated as a Life Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) and the remainder under the Natural Heritage System (NHS) of the Greenbelt . The proposed route of the Bradford Bypass crosses the Holland Marsh between Yonge Street and Bathurst Street, and would require 10.75 hectares (27 acres) of land within

560-404: A minimum 4 lane cross-section with grade separation at all junctions. Interchanges tend to be spaced at least 1.5 kilometres apart in urban areas unless there are basket weave ramps or collector lanes to facilitated shorter merge distances. In rural areas, interchanges tend to be spaced at least 3 kilometres apart, although exceptions exist. When the cross-section of highway is larger than 10 lanes,

630-429: A network of "Dual Highways" across the southern half of the province during the 1930s. The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) was first, an upgrade to the partially constructed Middle Road in 1934. McQuesten also sought out the economic opportunities that came with linking Toronto to Detroit and New York state by divided roadways with interchanges at major crossroads. Although he no longer served as Minister of Highways by

700-456: A result of public opposition and due to the potential environmental impacts of crossing the marsh, Minister of Transportation Edward Fulton abruptly cancelled the project on April   21, 1986. In his speech, Fulton said of the C$ 30   million project: "The environmental impact outweighs the transportation benefits in the particular location." While this was applauded by environmental advocates, it

770-537: Is also built to 400-series standards, however a 400-series designation has yet to be applied. Most other freeways and expressways in Ontario that lack a 400-series designation have lower construction standards, lower design speeds and lower speed limits. The MTO began planning for the use of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes with the HOV Opportunities Study, contracted to McCormick Rankin in 2001. This led to

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840-610: Is also supported by the Holland Marsh Growers Association and local businesses. PC , Liberal and NDP candidates for the riding of York—Simcoe all publicly supported the highway during the 2018 provincial election campaign, with Liberal leader Steven Del Duca stating in 2021 that support from locals means that the highway proposal is worth consideration. A 2016 survey commissioned by the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury showed that 85% of residents support construction of

910-586: Is currently estimated to cost C$ 800 million. The Bradford Bypass has been criticized for its potential environmental impacts, particularly to the Holland Marsh and surrounding wetlands draining into Lake Simcoe . While the route is endorsed by the municipalities surrounding it and through which it passes, critics note that the EA is outdated and that the highway would result in induced demand and encourage further reliance on personal vehicle usage. The proposed route of

980-453: Is currently in the process of updating the 1997 EA , with completion expected in 2023. Engineering and design work on the bypass began in the summer of 2020, while environmental studies to update the 1997 EA commenced in September. The 2021 Ontario Budget, released on March   24, 2021, allocated funding towards the highway. Early works construction was tentatively scheduled to begin in

1050-559: Is not our intention to toll this highway". Funding was committed to the project as part of the fall economic statement on November   1, 2021. In November 2022, construction on the project began with work on the Yonge Street interchange. Construction of the highway is supported by the provincial government, the upper-tier governments of York Region and Simcoe County, and the local municipalities of Bradford West Gwillimbury, East Gwillimbury, Georgina , Innisfil , King and Newmarket. It

1120-488: Is situated almost entirely in Southern Ontario , although Highway 400 extends into the more remote northern portion of the province. Modern 400-series highways have high design standards, speed limits of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph), with a 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) limit on select stretches, and various collision avoidance and traffic management systems. The design of 400-series highways has set

1190-481: Is the shortest of the routes at 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi). There are four examples of 400 series standard highways in Ontario that are not signed as such. The Gardiner Expressway between Highway 427 and Parklawn Road was originally built as a section of QEW (Hwy 451) and therefore is built to 400-series standards but lost its QEW designation after being downloaded to the City of Toronto. The section of Highway 7 between

1260-471: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices , Ontario utilizes green signs for guidance purposes, including distances to nearby interchanges and destinations. Generally, blue signage is used to list services and attractions at upcoming exits, known as Tourism-Oriented Directional Signing . However, several exceptions exist, notably blue guidance signage for toll highways such as Highway 407 , in addition to

1330-521: The 2003 Ontario general election , the Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty shelved several highway proposals — including the Bradford Bypass — to the "beyond 2031" timeframe. After the 2018 Ontario general election , the new Progressive Conservative (PC) government of Doug Ford announced that the EA would be reviewed and updated. Funding was committed to the project in the 2021 budget, with early works construction beginning in early 2022. The highway

1400-627: The Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia (Highway 402), and an expansion of Highway 27 (eventually designated as Highway 427 by the mid-1970s) into part of the Toronto Bypass were all underway or completed by the early 1950s. Seeking a way to distinguish the controlled-access freeways from the existing two-lane King's Highways, the Department of Highways created the 400-series designations in 1952. By

1470-560: The Government of Ontario . If approved, a new four-lane controlled-access highway would be built between Highway 400 near Bradford in Simcoe County , and Highway 404 near Queensville in York Region . It would serve as a bypass to the north side of Bradford. The corridor originated in 1978 as an eastern extension of Highway 89 along Ravenshoe Road. This proposal

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1540-424: The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO). The 400-series designations were introduced in 1952, although Ontario had been constructing divided highways for two decades prior. Initially, only Highways  400 , 401 and 402 were numbered; other designations followed in the subsequent decades. To this day, not all controlled-access highways in Ontario are a part of the 400-series highway network. The network

1610-694: The Ontario Tall Wall median barrier and the Parclo A-4 interchange design, the latter which became standard in the design for the widening of Highway 401 through Toronto in 1962. The Institute of Traffic Engineers subsequently recommended this design to replace the cloverleaf interchange throughout North America. Ontario highways rank fourth in North America for fatality rates, with 0.61 fatalities per 10,000 licensed drivers in 2017. However, this also includes two-lane provincial highways. On May 1, 2019,

1680-739: The Places to Grow Act in 2005, which set forth consistent urban planning principles across the province for the following 25   years. The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe was released in June of the following year as a framework for implementing the act, which despite including the Highway   404 extension as far as Ravenshoe Road, did not show the Bradford Bypass. Minister of Transportation Donna Cansfield confirmed in May 2007 that no further work

1750-401: The collector lanes of highways. The baseline standard for the construction of or expansion to a freeway in Ontario is an average daily traffic count of 10,000 vehicles per day. However, other factors are considered as well, particularly future traffic volume forecasts. To promote economic development in a disadvantaged region (e.g., the current extension of Highway 400 to Northern Ontario ),

1820-560: The 1960s and 1970s, additional freeways were planned or built, including Highway 427 in Toronto, Highway 403 through Mississauga, Highway 410 north to Brampton and Highway 416 to connect Highways 401 and 417. Highway 420 was designated in Niagara Falls, though it had been built as part of the QEW in 1941. Other major works included the skyway bridges along the QEW and

1890-485: The 1997 EA , it would cause severe water quality impacts in the Lake Simcoe watershed , with further studies required if the project was proceeded with. The groups contend that there was "no climate change impact assessment required, no study of the impact on migratory birds or fish habitat, and no   ... archeological study" conducted as part of the EA . They have also criticised the 32   year timeframe since

1960-424: The 400-series network, several extensions of existing freeways have been built or are underway, including Highway 410 north of Brampton in 2009, Highway 400 to north of Parry Sound in 2010, Highway 417 to Arnprior in 2012, Highway 404 to Keswick in 2014, Highway 401 through Windsor in 2015, and four-laning Highway 406 to Welland in late 2015. The 400-series highways always have

2030-495: The Bradford Bypass was completed in December 1997, with environmental studies noting that the proposed highway may contaminate groundwater and the Lake Simcoe watershed. The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation were noted to oppose the route due to archaeological concerns. Both EA s were approved on August   28, 2002. Later that year on October   4, Minister of Transportation Norm Sterling announced that design work

2100-440: The Bradford Bypass was established in the 1997 EA , including the location and design of interchanges. If built, the approximately 16.2 km (10.1 mi) corridor would consist of a four-lane rural freeway situated within a 100-metre (330 ft)-wide right-of-way . It would feature a 30-metre (100 ft) grass median, except at the two Holland River crossings, where the median would narrow to 8 metres (26 ft) with

2170-504: The Bradford Bypass, with stronger support among those familiar with the proposal. Claimed benefits of the bypass would include removing through traffic from nearby rural roads and urban areas, reduced congestion, improved air quality, and the potential revitalisation of downtown Bradford. Environmental groups including Environmental Defence Canada , the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition and Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition oppose

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2240-621: The East Holland River include Sharon Creek, Bogart Creek , Tannery Creek (from Aurora, Ontario ), Western Creek (from the west side of Newmarket), and Weslie Creek. A dam on the East Holland River in Newmarket maintains a man-made lake called Fairy Lake, originally a millpond, but now used for recreation . There has been a dam at this site since 1801. The current dam was damaged, albeit not severely, by Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Musselman Lake in Whitchurch-Stouffville feeds

2310-506: The Holland River crossing to the south to reduce the impact on the river, new designs for interchanges to meet contemporary MTO standards, and other minor realignments and changes. Following analysis of this consultation, a subsequent public consultation in the autumn of 2022 will present the preferred design for the route. The finalised design of the route and EA is currently anticipated to be completed in early 2023. In October 2021,

2380-503: The MTO introduced a multibillion-dollar Horseshoe Network Project, which included plans to incorporate HOV lanes into numerous 400-series highways. By then, work was already advanced on several projects, including the northbound HOV lane on Highway 404 (that opened on July 23, 2007) and an HOV lane along both directions of Highway 403 between Highway 407 and Highway 401. A third pair of HOV lanes has since been introduced to

2450-508: The NHS portion; it will not cross any wetlands. Bridges of approximately 400   and 600   metres (1300   and 2000   feet) will cross the two branches of the Holland River. Proposals for a highway corridor south of Lake Simcoe date as far back as the 1960s, but were not formally considered until the late 1970s. On June   30, 1978, a 48 km (30 mi) extension of Highway   89 east of Highway   400 to Highway 12

2520-881: The QEW/403 through Oakville, and a fourth individual HOV lane travels eastbound on Highway 417 from just west of Eagleson Road in Ottawa to just east of Moodie Drive. More than 450 kilometres (280 mi) of HOV lanes are currently proposed for construction by 2031. Future plans include extending existing HOV lanes and introducing them to other 400-series freeways. as of October 2014 , two projects have been confirmed: Highway 410 between Highway 401 and Queen Street in Brampton, and Highway 427 between Highway 409 and Highway 7. The MTO has stated that HOV lanes will only be introduced through new construction and that no general-purpose lanes will be converted. The general goals of

2590-427: The autumn of 2021, but was deferred until early 2022. As of June 2021, the project's estimated cost is C$ 800 million. On February   3, 2021, Jonathan Wilkinson , the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change , announced that he received a request for the project to undergo an EA at the federal level, following a formal request from Environmental Defence. On May   3, 2021, Wilkinson announced that

2660-585: The canal waters. There were two swing bridges built in East Gwillimbury; one on Green Lane and the other on Main Street North (Concession 2). Both have been replaced by permanent structures. On Green Lane the road now runs slightly to the south and a pedestrian bridge crosses the old structure. There is also a quayside at Davis Drive in Newmarket. The canal works were abandoned early in the 20th century without ever being completed. The upper limit of navigation on

2730-434: The end of the decade, construction of Highway 407 and Highway 416 had begun, and Highway 410 was expanded from two to four lanes. Highways 407 and 416 opened in the late 1990s. Until early 2015, Highways 407 and 416 were the most-recently designated (and constructed) freeways in Ontario. This has changed with the construction of Highways 412 and 418 . In addition to these new additions to

2800-584: The end of the year, Highway 400, 401, and 402 were numbered, although they were only short stubs of their current lengths. Highway 401 was assembled across the province in a patchwork fashion, becoming fully navigable between Windsor and the Quebec border on November 10, 1964; Highway 400 was extended north to Coldwater on Christmas Eve 1959; Highway 402 was extended to London between 1972 and 1982. In addition to this network backbone, plans for additional 400-series highways were initiated by

2870-558: The expansion of Highway 401 through most of Toronto into twelve-lane collector–express systems. By the mid-1980s, the network had more-or-less taken its current shape, with only Highways 407, 412, 416 and 418 yet to be built. Instead, emphasis was placed on expanding existing routes to accommodate increasing traffic volumes. However, extensions of Highway 400 towards Parry Sound , Highway 403 between Woodstock and Hamilton, Highway 404 towards Newmarket , and Highway 427 towards Vaughan were underway. By

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2940-399: The future Highway   404 Extension." Highway   404 was itself opened as far north as Davis Drive (York Regional Road   31) on October   24, 1989; the proposed extension largely succeeded the Highway   89 extension east of Woodbine Avenue. Separate EA s for both the Bradford Bypass and the Highway   404 extension began in 1993 and 1992, respectively. The EA for

3010-525: The government of Ontario was looking towards raising the speed limits of the 400-series highways up to 120 km/h (75 mph) Jeff Yurek , Transportation Minister at that time had stated that "The 400-series highways were built for, I believe, a speed limit of 120 km/h safely." A 110 km/h (68 mph) trial was set up on three stretches of highways on September 26, 2019, to test the viability of increasing speed limits. The three trialed sections along with three more sections were permanently changed to

3080-426: The higher speed limit on April 22, 2022, and two more sections were trialed. The two trialed sections were made permanent along with 10 more sections on July 12, 2024. On October 2, 2024, Premier Doug Ford mentioned in a press conference that he had directed Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria to raise the speed limit on all remaining 400-series highway sections “where it is safe to do so”. Conforming with

3150-479: The highway, criticising the impact it would have on the environment. In addition to increasing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, opponents claim the highway would disrupt woodlands, provincially significant wetlands, the Lake Simcoe watershed, wildlife habitats and species at risk. The highway has also historically been criticised for its potential impact on the Holland Marsh and the Holland River. According to

3220-956: The late 1950s, comprising the Chedoke Expressway (Highway 403) through Hamilton ; the Don Valley Parkway Extension (Highway 404) northward from the soon-to-be constructed Toronto expressway; Highway 405 to connect with the American border near St. Catharines ; Highway 406 south from St. Catharines to Welland ; Highway 407 encircling the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), though not built for another 40 years; Highway 409 to connect Highway 401 with Toronto International Airport ; and The Queensway (Highway 417) through Ottawa. The first sections of these freeways were opened in 1963, 1977, 1963, 1965, 1997, 1974, and 1960, respectively. Throughout

3290-507: The need for and alternatives to the project were last assessed, the changes in circumstances since then, the potential for urban sprawl along the highway, and a claim that the bypass would save drivers only "60 to 80   seconds" of journey time. Archaeologists, historians, and Indigenous groups are also concerned about the threat the bypass would pose to the Lower Landing, a nationally significant historic site thought to be located along

3360-422: The onset of World War II , his ambitious plans would come to fruition in the following decades as Highways 400, 401, 402, 403 (between Woodstock and Hamilton), and 405. The construction boom following the war resulted in many new freeway construction projects in the province. The Toronto–Barrie Highway (Highway 400), Trans-Provincial Highway (Highway 401), a short expansion of Highway 7 approaching

3430-678: The precedent for a number of innovations used throughout North America , including the parclo interchange and a modified Jersey barrier design known as the Ontario Tall Wall. As a result, they currently experience one of the lowest accident and fatality rates comparative to traffic volume in North America. When the 400-series designations were first applied to Ontario freeways in 1952, several divided highways had already been opened in Southern Ontario. Originally inspired by German Autobahns , Minister of Highways Thomas McQuesten planned

3500-801: The project are to help increase highway efficiency (an HOV lane is claimed by the Ontario government to have the ability to move as many people as four general-purpose lanes), reduce congestion, conserve energy and help protect the environment. During the 2015 Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games held in Toronto , several HOV lanes had their minimum requirements increased from two passengers to three, and some highways had their general-purpose lanes temporarily converted to HOV lanes to accommodate increased traffic. These temporary restrictions lasted from June 29 to August 18. 2021 saw several new HOV lanes opened. The southbound HOV lane on Highway   400 between King Road and Major Mackenzie Drive

3570-627: The proposed locations for interchanges along the Bradford Bypass contained within the MTO review. 400-series highways The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways in the Canadian province of Ontario , forming a special subset of the provincial highway system . They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the Autoroute system of neighbouring Quebec , and are regulated by

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3640-417: The proposed route. The Lower Landing was a key meeting place on the route connecting Lake Ontario to Lake Huron , and had been used for centuries by Indigenous peoples, explorers, fur traders, settlers, and soldiers travelling between the lower and upper Great Lakes prior to the mid-1800s. Indigenous groups and heritage advocates are concerned that construction of the proposed bypass would irreversibly destroy

3710-670: The provincial government did not change its stance in the five-year Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe in 2012. In 2014, a report into transportation needs in the Lake Simcoe area was positive about the highway, stating that the Bypass would be heavily used and easy to build. However, the report also stated that alternatives such as building high-occupancy vehicle lanes on Highway 400 and improving local roads and interchanges could deliver similar benefits with less environmental impact. Representatives from York Region, Simcoe County, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Innisfil, Essa Township and Newmarket together lobbied

3780-516: The provincial government in November 2015 to put the project on its growth plan. The bypass was revived on May   18, 2017 when it was included in the five-year Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, though without a timeline for construction. On August   15, 2019, Minister of Transportation and MPP for York—Simcoe , Caroline Mulroney , announced that planning for the Bradford Bypass would resume after years of being shelved. The MTO

3850-782: The road is usually arranged into a local–express lane system, which exist on sections of Highways 400, 401, 403, 404 and 427. On all but a few interchanges in the whole system, ramps merge freely on the highway except if there are ramp meters in use, and stop or yield controlled ramps are rare. An interchange with stop-controlled ramps onto Highway 400 at Canal Road is currently scheduled for replacement. While older freeways have some lapses in safety features, contemporary 400-series highways have design speeds of 130 km/h (81 mph), speed limits ranging from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 110 km/h (68 mph), various collision avoidance and traffic management systems, and several design standards adopted throughout North America. Of note are

3920-418: The site before it can be properly investigated. Local municipalities and the provincial government have pushed back on environmental concerns, noting that the EA will be updated to take into account existing and new federal & provincial legislation and standards. The MTO , meanwhile, contends that the route would result in "10 to 35 minutes of travel time saved each way." The following table lists

3990-404: The southern section of Yonge Street (thus resulting in an unusual crossing of both offset legs of the street) then cut through farmland, parallel with Queensville Sideroad . At Leslie Street ( York Regional Road 12 ), immediately north of the community of Queensville , a partial interchange would provide westbound access to and eastbound access from the highway. It would end shortly thereafter at

4060-616: The test trial of three HOV lanes in the GTA in December 2005: southbound Highway 404 between Highway 7 and Highway 401, with a dedicated HOV ramp built to connect with westbound Highway 401, and Highway 403 in both directions between Highway 407 and Highway 401 in Mississauga. Since then, HOV lanes have been opened on several 400-series freeways around the Golden Horseshoe and National Capital Region . In May 2007,

4130-429: The town of Carleton Place and its junction with Highway 417 is also built to 400-series standards, but a 400-series designation has yet to be applied. Highway 69 between Sudbury and Key River is built to 400-series standards in anticipation of it becoming part of Highway 400 once the 70-kilometre (43 mi) gap between the two freeways is filled. Highway 115 north of Highway 35/Highway115 concurrency and Peterborough

4200-660: The town of Bradford. It would then curve southeast to cross the West Holland River into the northeastern extent of the municipality of King in York Region, after which it would encounter an interchange with Bathurst Street and straighten out towards the east into East Gwillimbury . The highway would cross the East Holland River and pass immediately south of the Silver Lakes Golf and Country Club. It would cross

4270-437: Was announced. It was to follow 11th Line from Highway   400 east to the Holland Marsh, where it would cross towards the northeast onto the alignment of Ravenshoe Road (York Road   32). The extension would have traversed the length of Ravenshoe Road to Lakeridge Road (Durham Road   23), where it would zig-zag onto Concession Road   7 and end immediately north of Sunderland . In June 1981, environmental approval

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4340-557: Was approved by York Region in January 1999; construction began in September 2002. Construction began on a four-lane extension of Highway   404 from Davis Drive to Green Lane, and the reconstruction of Green Lane into a four-laned arterial road between Leslie Street and Woodbine Avenue in September 2000. Both were completed and opened to traffic on February   8, 2002, at a ceremony attended by MPP for York North Julia Munro and York Region chairman Bill Fisch. The Newmarket Bypass

4410-542: Was being undertaken on the corridor. The Bradford Bypass was first included in the 2002 Transportation Master Plan for York Region. Simcoe County followed suit in its 2008 Transportation Master Plan. In late 2011, York Region and Simcoe County commenced the York-Simcoe Boundary Area Transportation Needs Study as a basis to advocate for the bypass. Despite this and studies conducted by the MTO ,

4480-470: Was cancelled in 1986 and collaborative studies were undertaken between the province and affected municipalities over the next several years. A refined proposal for a freeway along a more southerly route, referred to as the Bradford Bypass, was released in 1989, after which an EA began in 1993. The assessment was completed in 1997 and approved in 2002, after which it was announced that construction would begin by 2006 and be completed by 2010. However, following

4550-407: Was completed and opened on September   1, 2004. Meanwhile, during the 2003 Ontario general election campaign, incumbent PC premier Ernie Eves pledged to build the Bradford Bypass. Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty , who would go on to win the election, promised to tackle gridlock with a transit-oriented approach, pledging only "the removal of highway bottlenecks." The McGuinty government passed

4620-733: Was given for the project, excluding the portion crossing of the Holland Marsh. The marsh crossing was opposed by the Sierra Club , the Federation of Ontario Naturalists , the Canadian Wildlife Service , and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). The MTO , then known as the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC), conducted several studies on the crossing and alternatives to it, which were collectively published in July 1984. However, as

4690-402: Was no evidence of wrongdoing by Minister Mulroney or Associate Minister Cho regarding the rerouting of the Bypass. A Freedom of information request demonstrated that the province had undertaken a business case on the potential of the Bypass being a toll road similar to Highway 407 , to potentially reduce the cost of building the highway. However, the office of Minister Mulroney stated that "it

4760-586: Was opened on September   11, 2021; while the northbound lane opened two months later on November   11. The Highway   427 extension, which opened on September   18, included an HOV lane north of Finch Avenue. The following table lists planned expansions to the HOV network by 2031. East Holland River A map of the Holland River watershed published by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority shows tributaries to

4830-534: Was opposed by several local politicians, as well as the York Region Federation of Agriculture, both of which began to petition the government to reverse the decision. The MTO engaged in several years of consultations with York Region, Simcoe County, and various other project stakeholders. The resulting Highway   404/89 Route Location Study , published in 1989, confirmed the need for a "Provincial facility north of Bradford linking Highway   400 to

4900-461: Was progressing, with construction set to begin in 2006, with completion expected by 2010. As an interim measure, several upgrades were made to the roads surrounding Newmarket in the early 2000s. The Newmarket Bypass – consisting of the widening to four lanes of Davis Drive (former Highway   9) between Highway   400 and Bathurst Street, Bathurst Street between Davis Drive and Green Lane, and Green Lane between Bathurst Street and Leslie Street –

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