The 400-Series Highways are a network of controlled-access freeways throughout the province of Ontario, Canada, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They function similar to the Interstate Highway network in the United States or the Autoroute system in the province of Quebec. Modern 400-series highways have very high design standards, speed limits of 100 km/h (62.5 mph), and various collision avoidance systems. 400-series highway design has set the precedent for a number of innovations used throughout North America, including the Parclo interchange.
400-Series Network
For their entire length, 400-series highways are intended to be complete controlled-access, and divided with a minimum of 4 lanes. Although the 400-series freeways currently form a network around 401 and the QEW, this has not always been the case (such as Highway 417 until 1999) and being part of a network is not a requirement as it has been for US Interstates.
The province also maintains freeways which are up to 400-series standards, yet are not numbered as part of the 400-series network. This is despite some of those freeways exceeding existing 400-series highways in size and traffic volume and and despite some of them being connected to the 400-series network. Nonetheless, Ontario freeways do not receive a 400-series number unless they are designed to be complete controlled-access freeways for their whole length. While at-grade intersections of Highways 400 and 406 still exist, planning/construction is underway to upgrade them to full freeway standard. The non 400-series routes listed below have significant open-access portions besides the freeway section, with the freeway segment typically being a small section not at the route's termini.
Most prominent is the Conestoga Parkway in Kitchener-Waterloo, which is numbered in 3 sections; Highway 7/8, Highway 7, and Highway 85, and the Highway 8 freeway section between Highway 401 and the Conestoga. The E.C. Row Expressway in Windsor, Ontario was numbered as part of Highway 2 before the freeway was downloaded to municipal authorities in 1998. Other examples of non 400-series numbered freeways in the provincial inventory are at Thorold (Highway 58), Peterborough to Enterprise Hill (Highway 115), North Bay and southward (Highway 11) and Sudbury (Highway 17).
400-series history
Although the Queen Elizabeth Way has no posted highway number it is still part of the 400-series highway network. In fact, the QEW was the first 400-series freeway to be constructed. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation designates the QEW as Highway 451 for internal purposes; this designation never appears on maps or highway signs.
400-series highways receive numbers one of two ways. The first and original method was sequential numbering starting at 400 and working up to 409. The first three 400-series highways numbered accordingly were Highway 400, Highway 401 and Highway 402 — originally known as the Barrie-Toronto Highway, Highway 2A and the Blue Water Bridge Approach respectively. Since then, additional highways have been constructed using sequential numbering from 403 to 409. Although there were plans for a Highway 408 it was never constructed. It is widely believed that the new Mid-Peninsula Highway bypass of the Queen Elizabeth Way will receive the designation 408. Highway 407 (now 407 ETR) received its designation in the 1960s when it was planned and land was acquired for it although construction did not start until 1987.
The more common method of 400-series numbering after 1970 is assigning a 400 designation to an already-existing highway. For example, part of Highway 427 was the original routing of Highway 27 prior to being upgraded to a freeway. Highway 416 and 417 were the original routings of Highway 16 and 17 respectively, in the Ottawa area. Note that in order to qualify for 400-series numbering, the freeway upgrade starts at the terminus of the existing route. If the freeway upgrade is in the middle (not at the termini), then the route retains its original number unless one of the open-access termini is decommissioned. Sometimes the highway is not necessarily an upgrade of the existing route. Highway 410 and 420 were both freeway bypasses of Highway 10 and Highway 20. Highway 424, once constructed, will be a freeway bypass of Highway 24.
The province's baseline standard for the construction of a 400-series highway (or any controlled-access freeway, whether numbered as a 400-series or not) is an average traffic count of 10,000 vehicles per day. However, other factors are considered as well. To promote economic development in a disadvantaged region (e.g. current construction extending Highway 400 to Northern Ontario), a 400-series highway may be built where the existing highway's traffic counts fall below 10,000. As well, for environmental, budgetary or community reasons, some proposed 400-series highways have not been built even where an existing highway's traffic counts exceed the standard. A good example includes the cancelled Highway 400 extension from 401 to the Gardiner Expressway in the 1960s (a portion was revived as the Black Creek Drive expressway in 1982, which was built by the province and then immediately downloaded to the city).
Standards for 400-series highways
Here is a list of highway construction standards required. These are similar to standards for other controlled-access highways systems such as the AASHTO Interstate highway standards.
- At least 2 lanes in each direction.
- Opposing direction is to be separated by grass median or "Ontario tall-wall" concrete barrier.
- 100% grade separated crossings
- A design speed of at least 130 km/h (80 mph), although the posted speed on signs is 100 km/h - exceptions can be made for urban areas where a 130 km/h design speed cannot be realistically implemented such as Highway 403 through Hamilton (90km/h) and Highway 406 through downtown St. Catharines (80km/h).
- Unless there are land space constraints, 4-way junctions should be a parclo interchange when it meets with a surface road.
- There is no standard for freeway-to-freeway junction, only that there must not be any traffic weaving when merging onto each road. This makes interchanges such as the cloverleaf not up to 400-series standard.
- Advanced warning signage for junctions at 2 km (1.2 miles), 1 km (0.6 miles) and 500m (1650 ft) before the junction
- Right-hand side on-ramps and off-ramps
- Full-width left and right shoulders
- Rumble strips
- Standard 400-series highway signage, uniform across the entire system.
- Standard directional signage is white-on-green, with collector lanes using white-on-blue to distinguish between mainline and collector signage.
- Based on the precedent set by Highway 407 ETR, future toll roads will also have white-on-blue signage.
- Service/attraction signage is white-on-blue, though older white-on-brown signs still exist.
- Caution signage is black-on-yellow.
- Construction (temporary conditions) signage is black-on-orange
- Square lane deviation signs, notifying drivers approximately 1 km prior to their lane leaving the highway. These signs are unique to Ontario.
Many 400-series highways have also recently had gates installed at entrance ramps, allowing access to the highway to be easily closed in case of emergency or road work. In some cases, different standards applied at the time of construction and have been grandfathered to the system. This is most prominent on Highway 400, Highway 401, and the Queen Elizabeth Way, whose low standard sections are only upgraded when growing traffic conditions warrant a major reconstruction. Although some highways receive a 400-series number right away, they are not built to 400-series standards until construction of the highway is completed.
List of 400-series highways
There are 15 different 400-series highways (including the QEW) creating a transportation backbone across the southern portion of the province. Plans are currently underway to extend the existing network into Northern Ontario as well as add new routes into the system.
- 209 km (130 miles) in length (extensions planned northward)
- Year: 1952 (known as the Barrie-Toronto Highway prior to 1952)
- Southern terminus: Maple Leaf Drive in Toronto
- Northern terminus: approximately one kilometre north of Bowes Street in Parry Sound, where it continues as Highway 69
- Planned northern terminus: Highway 17 in the southeast part of Greater Sudbury
- As of October 2003, Highway 400 runs from Toronto to Parry Sound. There is currently an 8 km (5 mile) gap at the Wahta Mohawk Territory where this highway is only two lanes, rather than four; however, as the four-lane construction is expected to be completed in 2007, the Highway 400 designation has already been extended through this segment. There is also an approximately 20 km stretch, from Horseshoe Lake to the terminus at Parry Sound, where the highway bears the dual designation 400/69. At the Parry Sound terminus of Highway 400, the four lanes simply merge into two and continue northward as Highway 69. Continued construction along the Highway 69 corridor will eventually extend Highway 400 to Sudbury in Northern Ontario. Although this may be subject to change, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation currently plans to have this construction completed by 2017.
- Highway 400 is Toronto's main freeway link to York Region, Barrie and Muskoka.
- Known as the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway for its entire length
- 817.9 km (508 miles) in length - the longest 400-series highway
- Year: 1952 (known as Highway 2A prior to 1952)
- Western terminus: Highway 3 in Windsor
- Eastern terminus: Quebec Border (Autoroute 20)
- Highway 401 runs from Windsor to the Quebec border. Highway 401 is the backbone of the 400-Series network running across the entire length of Southern and Eastern Ontario. The unique Macdonald-Cartier Freeway signage has been slowly disappearing over the past 10 years.
- 102.5 km (64 miles) in length
- Year: 1952 (known as the Blue Water Bridge Approach prior to 1952)
- Western terminus: Blue Water Bridge in Point Edward
- Eastern terminus: Highway 401 in London
- Highway 402 starts at the Blue Water Bridge in Point Edward (a small village located inside Sarnia) and runs 102 km to end at Highway 401 in London. The 402 connects Interstates 69 and 94 in Michigan with the 401 in Ontario.
Initially, 402 terminated at Highway 40, and commuters continued east to London via Highway 7. In 1972-1982, Highway 402 was extended to meet up with Highway 401.
- Known as the Chedoke Expressway though Hamilton, informally as the Hamilton Expressway in Mississauga
- 112.4 km (70 miles) in length, of which 23 km (14.3 miles) of which are concurrently signed with the Queen Elizabeth Way (400-series co-signing is rare)
- Year: 1963
- Western terminus: Highway 401 in Woodstock
- Eastern terminus: Highway 401 in Mississauga
- Highway 403 forms a loop that runs from the Highway 401 in Woodstock back to the junction of Highway 401 and Highway 410 in Mississauga. It passes through Brantford, Hamilton, and Mississauga. Land that was originally planned to be used for the 403 through Burlington and Oakville was leased to the owners of Highway 407 in the mid-1990s, making a 23 km gap between the two sections permanent. In 2002 the Ministry of Transportation co-signed the section of QEW between Burlington and Mississauga together with Highway 403.
- 36.8 km (22.9 miles) in length (extensions planned northward)
- Year: 1977 (known as the extension of the Don Valley Parkway prior to 1977)
- Southern terminus: Highway 401 in Toronto
- Northern terminus: Herald Road/Green Lane in Newmarket
- Highway 404 runs from north from the junction of Highway 401 and the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto and ends currently in Newmarket, with eventual plans to extend it to the northern side of Lake Simcoe. Highway 404 is the second north-south freeway in York Region and connects the northeastern suburbs and into Toronto as the Don Valley Parkway. Highway 404 will be extended to Keswick by 2010, at York Region Road 32, Ravenshoe Road. Further extension to Highway 12 in Pefferlaw is planned.
- 8.5 km (5.3 miles) in length
- Year: 1963
- Western terminus: Queen Elizabeth Way west of Niagara Falls
- Eastern terminus: Queenston-Lewiston International Bridge
- Highway 405 serves as a connector from the Queen Elizabeth Way to the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge in Queenston. Though a short spur route, it is still considered a major highway connecting the main trunk highway to Toronto (the QEW) with Interstate 190 outside of Niagara Falls, New York.
- 25 km (15.5 miles) in length (extensions planned southward)
- Year: 1965
- Southern terminus: East Main Street (Highway 7146) in Welland
- Planned southern terminus: Mid-Peninsula Highway (probable Highway 408) connection near Port Colborne
- Northern terminus: Queen Elizabeth Way in St. Catharines
- Highway 406 serves as a north-south route from the Queen Elizabeth Way through downtown St. Catharines and into central Niagara. It is the last remaining 400-Series highway under Ministry of Transportation jurisdiction with two-lane non-freeway sections. These sections, located between Fonthill and Welland, were planned to be upgraded to full four-lane freeway starting in the summer of 2004. Plans to extend the route further south to Highway 3 in Port Colborne have been on the books for years, though with the imminent construction of the Mid-Peninsula Highway any future extensions of Highway 406 are in doubt.
- 108 km (67 miles) in length (extensions planned)
- Year: 1997 (although 407 received its designation in the 1960s)
- Western terminus: Junction of Highway 403 and the Queen Elizabeth Way in Burlington
- Eastern terminus: Highway 7 near Brock Road in Pickering
- Planned eastern terminus: Highway 35/115 at Enterprise Hill or Highway 7/Lansdowne Street in Peterborough
- Highway 407 forms a northern bypass for Highway 401 and the Queen Elizabeth Way through the Greater Toronto Area. It is Ontario's only toll highway. Owned by a private corporation, it is not officially considered part of the King's Highway system, however, it was intended to be a part of the provincial highway network. The reason for the privatization of Highway 407 is that the Ontario Government started running low on funds set aside for the project to build the freeway, so they looked for corporate assistance to help pay for the freeway. Highway 407 was also the first highway to use electronic toll collection exclusively for its entire length. An easterly extension to Highway 35/115 between Peterborough and Clarington has been suggested, however, this phase is in the planning stages.
- Known as the Belfield Expressway for its entire length
- 4.4 km (2.7 miles) in length
- Year: 1975
- Western terminus: Highway 427 in Toronto
- Eastern terminus: Highway 401 in Toronto
- Highway 409 is a short connector route from the 401 to Toronto Pearson International Airport. A short section of Highway 409 between Airport Road and Highway 427 in Mississauga was sold to the Greater Toronto Airport Authority in 1999 and is now under their jurisdiction.
- 13.5 km (8.4 miles) in length (extensions planned and under construction northward, will be 21 km long when the current construction is completed)
- Year: 1979
- Southern terminus: Highway 401 in Mississauga
- Northern terminus: Bovaird Drive (Highway 7) in Brampton
- Highway 410 runs from the junction of Highway 401 and Highway 403 in Mississauga through Northern Mississauga and Brampton, with eventual plans to extend it as far north as Orangeville or Owen Sound. Construction of a short extension from Highway 7 to Highway 10 is currently under way. This highway does not use exit numbers, although it likely will in the future when extended farther.
- Known as the Veterans Memorial Highway for its entire length
- 75 km (46.6 miles) in length
- Year: 1996–2000
- Southern terminus: Highway 401 north of Johnstown and the Prescott-Ogdensburg Bridge
- Northern terminus: Highway 417 in Ottawa
- Highway 416 runs from Highway 401 near Johnstown to Highway 417 near Bells Corners in Ottawa. South of North Gower, it follows the former routing Highway 16.
- On the 54th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1999, Highway 416 was officially dedicated as the Veterans Memorial Highway. It is the newest 400-Series highway to be built and owned by the Ministry of Transportation and is the main link (via the 401 and I-81) between the US and Canada's National Capital Region. It was officially completed on September 23, 1999.
- Part of the Trans Canada Highway
- Known as the Queensway through Ottawa
- 182 km (113 miles) in length (extensions planned westward)
- Year: 1971
- Eastern terminus: Quebec border (Autoroute 40)
- Western terminus: Arnprior where it continues as Highway 17
- Highway 417 is the main freeway through the National Capital Region and Eastern Ontario along the Quebec border. Construction of a 17 km extension to Arnprior was completed on September 24, 2004. Eventually the Ministry of Transportation hopes to extend the 417 through the Ottawa Valley; however, there is no definite timeline set for this construction. (There is a new 29-km stretch of 4-lane Highway 17 freeway under construction east of Sault Ste. Marie that is scheduled to open in 2008, and likely to have exit numbers in the 900s should it ever be connected, and an existing freeway segment in Greater Sudbury.) Unlike most other east-west highways in Ontario, the 417 begins its mileage logs at the eastern terminus rather than the west.
- 3.8 km (2.4 miles) in length (extensions planned westward)
- Year: 1972 (known as the Queen Elizabeth Way prior to 1972)
- Western terminus: Montrose Road in Niagara Falls
- Planned western terminus: Highway 406 at St. Catharines/Thorold
- Eastern terminus: Stanley Ave in Niagara Falls, where it continues to the Rainbow Bridge as Regional Road 420.
- This short freeway connects the Queen Elizabeth Way to the tourist district in Niagara Falls. The Highway 420 designation used to continue for nearly 800 meters east of Stanley Ave, and this section was just a regular four-lane city street known as Roberts Street. Though this section of highway was once considered part of the 420, it was transferred to the City of Niagara Falls in 2000, and is now known as Regional Road 420. In the medium term, the Ministry of Transportation hopes to extend the 420 west past Montrose Road to meet up with Highway 58 and the Thorold Tunnel, which is already a (slightly substandard) freeway.
- Known as the Airport Expressway between Highway 401 and Highway 409.
- 21.3 km (13.3 miles) in length (extensions planned northward)
- Year: 1972 (known as Highway 27 between the Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 401 and as the Airport Expressway between Highway 401 and Highway 409 prior to 1972)
- Southern terminus: Evans Ave in Toronto
- Northern terminus: Highway 7 in Vaughan
- Planned northern terminus: Highway 400 north of Barrie
- Highway 427 came into existence by designating the already-freeway portions of Highway 27 and the Airport Expressway as a 400-series highway. It serves the heavy-travelled area between the Queen Elizabeth Way and Gardiner Expressway in the south and Highway 407 in the north. Highway 427 has heavy traffic volumes and is no less than 12 lanes between the Queen Elizabeth Way/Gardiner Expressway and Highway 401. The Ministry of Transportation plans on extending Highway 427 to at least Highway 400 north of at least Highway 89, and eventually into the Barrie area.
- 139 km (86 miles) in length
- Year: 1939
- Fort Erie terminus: Peace Bridge in Fort Erie
- Toronto terminus: Highway 427 in Toronto, where it continues as the Gardiner Expressway
- The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) is one of North America's oldest long-distance superhighways. Due to several directional changes along the route the highway uses city names rather than cardinal directions to direct motorists. The QEW is not referred to by a route number, unlike the other 400-Series highways, but it does have the "secret" designation of Highway 451 and is considered part of the 400-Series highway network.
Former 400-Series Highways
Due to government restructuring in 1997 and 1998 various sections of provincial highway were transferred over to local jurisdictions. While most of the highways transferred were local in nature, several large routes including freeways were transferred to local governments.
Highway 400A
- Now a section of Highway 11
- 1.1 km (0.7 miles) in Length
- Year: 1960-1997
- Western Terminus: Highway 400
- Eastern Terminus: Highway 11
- Highway 400A, though never signed, was a short spur connecting Highway 400 to the Highway 11 expressway northeast of Barrie. It was initially part of Highway 400 until 1960 when a new section of Highway 400 opened, bypassing 1.1 km of freeway which was re-numbered Highway 400A. When Highway 11 south of Highway 400 was transferred to local control in 1997 the designation Highway 11 was officially applied to Highway 400A, eliminating it in its entirety. Highway 400A was formerly the shortest 400-Series Highway and had no junctions located between its termini.
Queen Elizabeth Way east of Highway 427
- Now a section of the Gardiner Expressway
- 6 km (3.8 miles) in Length (total QEW length 145 km)
- Year: 1939-1997
- Western Terminus: Highway 427
- Eastern Terminus: Gardiner Expressway
- This short section of Queen Elizabeth Way was transferred to the City of Toronto in 1997 as a cost savings measure by the Provincial Government. It has since been re-designated as a western extension of the Gardiner Expressway.
Future Additions to the System
There are several plans on the books to add new routes to the 400-series highway system to serve the growing population of motorists throughout Ontario. Some of these new routes may be toll roads owned and operated in a similar fashion to Highway 407. In addition, the long-term extension of Highway 417 towards North Bay (and beyond), as well as construction of a staged freeway on the Highway 11 corridor, would likely absorb the existing freeway sections of Highway 11 and Highway 17 into 400-series highways.
- Designation not yet determined, speculated to become Highway 408
- Year: No firm construction timelines have been established
- Planned Western Terminus: Highway 407 in Burlington, or Highway 401 near Milton
- Planned Eastern Terminus: Queen Elizabeth Way in Fort Erie, Ontario
- The Mid-Peninsula Highway will serve as southern bypass of the Queen Elizabeth Way through the environmentally-sensitive Niagara Peninsula. Current estimates indicate that the QEW will require five lanes of traffic per direction by 2012. Widening the highway to ten lanes through Ontario's Wine Country and Tender Fruitlands was not considered an acceptable option due to increasing development pressure. Instead, the Mid-Peninsula Highway was devised as a bypass of the QEW for traffic heading directly to Toronto and across the Southern and Central portions of the Niagara Peninsula. The Mid-Peninsula Highway will more than likely be a privately-owned toll road (it has been speculated that it will be built and run by the operators of Highway 407). It is a highly controversial project as it will likely run through tender agricultural areas and the Niagara Escarpment as well, and many question the need of the highway. Some sections of the project may face cancellation, due to the lack of cooperation by land owners to sell land for the highways construction, and an unreceptive Provincial Government. Construction may begin in 2005 but it appears more unlikely.
Highway 424 (Brantford to Cambridge)
- Officially designated as Highway 424
- Year: 2010s
- Planned Southern Terminus: Highway 403 in Brantford, with the possibility of a further southward extension into Norfolk County
- Planned Northern Terminus: Highway 401 in Cambridge
- A new freeway alignment of Highway 24, to be called Highway 424, has been part of the Ministry of Transportation's plans for Brant County and Waterloo Region since the 1970s. Although constantly delayed, civic leaders in the region have recently begun to lobby the Provincial Government to begin construction of this route. In late March, 2005, provincial government announced that an environmental assessment has begun, and that construction should begin by the end of the decade.
- No designation determined at this time, but may receive a designation of 413, 414, 488, or simply be extensions of 404 and 427
- Year: 2012
- Planned Western Terminus: Highway 400 near Bradford, or Highway 427 near Bond Head.
- Planned Eastern Terminus: Highway 404 near Queensville
- The Bradford Bypass will serve as a connector between Highways 400 and 404 on the extreme northern edge of the Greater Toronto Area. Construction is expected to begin by the end of this decade.
- Designation not yet determined, speculated to receive Highway 412
- Year: Initial construction in the mid-2010s, to be finished no later than 2035.
- Planned Southern Terminus: Highway 401 on the Ajax/Whitby border
- Planned Northern Terminus: Highway 407, just east of the new Pickering Airport
- The 401/407 Durham West Connector will serve as a connector between Highway 401 and Highway 407 in the fast-growing western end of Durham Region. Plans for this new freeway will see it located near LakeRidge Road between Ajax and Whitby. There is no 401 interchange at Lake Ridge Road, but one is proposed to open there in the future. With the recent announcement of the development of Pickering Airport, the Durham West Connector will play an even greater role in the area's transportation network.
- Designation not yet determined.
- Year: Initial construction in the mid-2010s, to be finished no later than 2035.
- Planned Southern Terminus: Highway 401 in Clarington, in the community of Courtice
- Planned Northern Terminus: Highway 407
- The 401/407 Durham East Connector is a planned connector that will serve the east end of Durham Region, including Oshawa and Clarington. The alignment will be located east of Courtice Road in Clarington.