Ford's latest election promise is a $60 billion tunnel. Transit experts aren't happy

Doug Ford wants to dig his way out of Ontario’s gridlock problems — literally. Ford promised that if his Progressive Conservative Party is reelected he will build a multi-billion-dollar tunnel under Highway 401, a mega-project he says will help ease gridlock for both drivers and public transit users in the Greater Toronto Area. 

Addressing Toronto’s growing congestion has been a key focus of Ford’s campaign, but most of his transportation commitments have been designed to accommodate vehicle traffic, reinforcing car dependency rather than supporting public transit, transit advocates say.

Ford crafted today’s announcement to appeal to drivers and transit users alike. The tunnel will extend beyond Brampton and Mississauga in the west and beyond Markham and Scarborough in the east and include vehicle and transit lanes, Ford said. 

“We’re going to build the 401 Express Tunnel,” Ford said. “We have the expertise, the experience, the ingenuity, and most importantly, the best workers on the planet.”

Building the tunnel is predicted to cost up to $60 billion, some experts suggest, however Ford noted traffic gridlock is costing the provincial economy $56 billion each year. “Without more transportation infrastructure, every 400-series highway, including the 401, will be at capacity within the decade. I think the 401 is already at capacity,” he said.

While Ford pitches the tunnel as a solution to traffic congestion, experts argue the project could have the opposite effect.

“My sense is that he hasn’t done any substantive reading on the topic,” said Peter Miasek, president of Transport Action Ontario. “Research shows that building more lanes or highways only leads to induced demand—where the new road space just fills up again.” 

The tunnel under the 401 would take at least 20 years to build and once finished would exacerbate environmental problems due to increased pollution and urban sprawl, experts say. 

Over the past few months, the PC government has flooded the news with transportation announcements and legislation change — some promising new transit lines, others fast-tracking controversial highways like Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass.

While the province says it is committed to spending $70 billion over the next decade on public transit expansion, the staggering price tags of Ford’s two flagship highway projects in just a few years — the 401 Express Tunnel (up to $60 billion) and Highway 413 ($10 billion) — suggest that roads, not rails, are his real priority, Miasek said.

Miasek told Canada’s National Observer that while Ford recognizes the need for transit in dense areas, he tends to build it in places where it won’t interfere with cars. When conflicts arise, he favours drivers, said Miasek, pointing to the government’s decision to remove bike lanes in Toronto.

Governments across North America have spent billions on highways that remain just as congested as before. “Instead, that money should have been invested in transit. I think he (Ford) just can’t see a different way of doing things — it’s a status quo bias,” Miasek said.

Opposition leaders were quick to criticize Ford’s giant tunnel plans, calling it a costly distraction from the province’s real priorities.

“While Doug Ford wastes your money on a tunnel that will never actually get built,” said Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.  “Ontario’s Liberals will get you a family doctor.”

Green Party leader Mike Schreiner was even more blunt, calling Ford’s tunnel plan “just insulting,” adding Ford threw out the idea with no cost estimate and no timeline.

“Ontarians don’t want a tunnel under the 401,” Schreiner said. “They don’t want Doug Ford to keep throwing money at the GTA when the rest of the province doesn’t have affordable homes or healthcare.”

Nate Wallace, Clean Transportation Program Manager at Environmental Defence, argues that Ford’s policies fuel car dependency by promoting sprawl and subsidizing driving costs through gas tax cuts, license fee removals, and toll elimination. These have cost the province more than $10 billion since 2018.

Meanwhile, public transit investment relative to population growth has fallen by 49 per cent since 2015, Wallace added. Proposed highway infrastructure projects, such as Highway 413 and the 401 Express Tunnel would consume massive portions of the province’s transportation budget. Instead of investing in highways, the government should better fund public transit, enhance cycling and walking infrastructure, and find ways to reduce car trips, Wallace said.

For example, the TTC’s Line 1 subway carries the equivalent of 26 highway lanes of traffic, Wallace said. Without it, Toronto would need the equivalent of eight to nine additional Gardiner Expressways or Don Valley Parkways to handle the same volume of commuters. Investment in public transit would also reduce people’s transportation costs — car ownership can exceed $16,000 annually, he added.

Wallace told Canada’s National Observer any credible clean transportation plan from all political parties should commit to real solutions. He also calls for reforms to lower transit construction costs, the repeal of Bill 212 to support bike and bus lanes, and the adoption of a clean car standard to make EVs more affordable.