The stretch of Highway 401 between Windsor and Tilbury will permanently be raised to 110 km/h starting late next month, the province has announced.
Six sections of provincial highways in Southern Ontario are being designated as permanent 110 km/h roads, the goal being to align Ontario’s speed limits with other Canadian regions. On top of the permanent changes, also come temporary trials of two stretches of provincial highway in Northern Ontario.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says the move is big for the region surrounding Windsor-Essex and both international and domestic trade.
“In our region, we know that we’re the gateway to markets in the great lakes, and the United States and beyond. In our region, we know that the greenhouse industry feeds families across North America, and in our region, we’re a hub of advanced manufacturing.” said Mayor Dilkens.
Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney says the sections of highway chosen for the speed limit increase were chosen with specific things in mind.
“Each section has been carefully chosen based on several factors, including the ability to accommodate higher speed limits.” Mulroney said.
Mulroney adds safety is top of mind, and steps will be taken to ensure that.
“We will continue to monitor the operations and safety performance in all sections where the speed limit is increased to 110 km/h, and we’ll work with the OPP to guide out efforts to safely implement the speed limit with enhanced signage."
Starting April 22, the speed limit will be increasing in the following sections of provincial highway:
This all comes after a 2019 survey launched by the Ontario Government in which 80 percent of people responded positively.
The Ministry of Transportation also says speed and collision trends in areas they tested were close to the same as elsewhere.