List of controlled-access highways in Ontario

The province of Ontario does not have a single unified network of controlled-access highways or freeways. Although most freeways are part of the 400-series highways, which can be characterized by their high design standard, several other sections of provincial highways are also classified as freeways. Additionally, several controlled-access highways, called municipal expressways, are maintained by municipalities rather than the provincial government like provincial highways are.

Freeways

The following is a list of freeways in Ontario as defined by the Official Road Map of Ontario published by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO).[1][2][3] The MTO defines a freeway as a divided highway with at least two lanes in each direction.[4]

400-series highways

All 400-series highways are freeways for their entire length.[5]

Other provincial highways

Some non 400-series highways are also freeways for some of all of their length.

Number From To Note Ref
 Highway 4 Colonel Talbot Rd Wonderland Rd S Concurrency with  Highway 401. [2]
 Highway 6 43°26′53″N 80°10′37″W / 43.448°N 80.177°W / 43.448; -80.177 43°27′11″N 80°07′26″W / 43.453°N 80.124°W / 43.453; -80.124 [2]
 Highway 6 43°13′48″N 79°58′16″W / 43.230°N 79.971°W / 43.230; -79.971  County Road 46 (Brock Rd S) Concurrency with  Highway 403. [2]
 Highway 7 43°23′31″N 80°39′58″W / 43.392°N 80.666°W / 43.392; -80.666 Victoria St N Sections known as the Conestoga Parkway. [2]
 Highway 7  County Road 28 Lansdowne St E Concurrency with  Highway 115. [2]
 Highway 7 / TCH 45°08′24″N 76°06′25″W / 45.140°N 76.107°W / 45.140; -76.107  Highway 417 [2]
 Highway 8 43°23′31″N 80°39′58″W / 43.392°N 80.666°W / 43.392; -80.666  Highway 401 Sections known as the Conestoga Parkway. [2]
 Highway 11  Highway 400  Highway 17 [2]
 Highway 17 / TCH 46°22′37″N 81°20′49″W / 46.377°N 81.347°W / 46.377; -81.347 46°25′30″N 81°06′47″W / 46.425°N 81.113°W / 46.425; -81.113 [1]
 Highway 35  Highway 115  Highway 401 Concurrency with  Highway 115. [2]
 Highway 58  Highway 406  Regional Road 57 (Thorold Stone Rd) [2]
 Highway 69 / TCH 46°25′44″N 80°53′42″W / 46.429°N 80.895°W / 46.429; -80.895 45°56′42″N 80°34′55″W / 45.945°N 80.582°W / 45.945; -80.582 [1]
 Highway 85 43°31′19″N 80°32′42″W / 43.522°N 80.545°W / 43.522; -80.545  Highway 7 Part of the Conestoga Parkway. [2]
 Highway 115  Highway 401 Lansdowne St E Entire length. [2]
 Highway 137  Highway 401 44°22′01″N 75°59′06″W / 44.367°N 75.985°W / 44.367; -75.985 [2]

Municipal expressways

Municipal expressways are expressways not under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. Instead, they are maintained by the municipal governments of the municipalities they are located in. They can vary in size and infrastructure, ranging from major arterial roads (e.g. Cootes Drive, Hamilton) to control access freeways (e.g. Gardiner Expressway, Toronto).

Name City From To Road Type Notes Ref
Airport Parkway Ottawa Bronson Ave / Heron Rd Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport Two-Lane Expressway Fully grade-separated, but the highway is undivided, and bicycles are permitted. [6]
Allen Road Toronto Transit Rd Eglinton Ave W Control Accessed [2]
Black Creek Drive Toronto  Highway 400 Eglinton Ave W Limited Access No interchanges. Pedestrians are prohibited. [7]
 Cootes Drive (City Road 8) Hamilton  City Road 99 (Dundas St) Main St W Arterial Road First divided dual-carriageway road built in Canada. [8]
 Don Valley Parkway Toronto  Highway 401 /  Highway 404  Gardiner Expressway Control Accessed Entire length. [2]
Dougall Parkway Windsor  Highway 401 42°15′07″N 83°00′00″W / 42.252°N 83.000°W / 42.252; -83.000 Control Accessed Entire length. [2]
E. C. Row Expressway Windsor Ojibway Pkwy 42°18′22″N 82°53′17″W / 42.306°N 82.888°W / 42.306; -82.888 Control Accessed Entire length. [2]
 Gardiner Expressway Toronto  Don Valley Parkway  Highway 427 /  Queen Elizabeth Way Control Accessed Entire length.

Parts were formerly  Queen Elizabeth Way. Formerly signed  Highway 2.

[2]
Harbour Expressway Thunder Bay  Highway 11 / Highway 17 / Highway 61 / TCH
(Collectively Thunder Bay Expressway)
Fort William Rd Limited Access No pedestrians or bicycles permitted. One at grade railway crossing between Memorial Avenue and Fort William Road. [9]
Highbury Avenue London  Highway 401 Power Street Control Accessed [2]
Highway 2A Toronto 43°46′55″N 79°10′08″W / 43.782°N 79.169°W / 43.782; -79.169  Highway 401 Control Accessed Entire length.

Formerly provincial  Highway 2A.

[2]
Highway 7 York Region Centre Street Bayview Avenue Limited Access Formerly a part of  Highway 7. Has Viva Rapidway between the roadway [10]
Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway Hamilton  Highway 403 Red Hill Valley Parkway Control Accessed Entire length. [2]
Maley Drive Greater Sudbury 46°30′54″N 81°00′22″W / 46.515°N 81.006°W / 46.515; -81.006 46°32′13″N 80°55′44″W / 46.537°N 80.929°W / 46.537; -80.929 Varies A few interchanges throughout the road. [11]
Mount Pleasant Road Toronto Inglewood Dr Jarvis St Arterial Road Considered to be the first expressway in Toronto. [12]
Nikola Tesla Boulevard Hamilton 43°15′36″N 79°48′36″W / 43.260°N 79.810°W / 43.260; -79.810  Queen Elizabeth Way Control Accessed Entire length. [2]
 Ottawa Road 174 Ottawa  Highway 417 45°30′07″N 75°28′37″W / 45.502°N 75.477°W / 45.502; -75.477 Control Accessed Entire length. [2]
Red Hill Valley Parkway Hamilton Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway  Queen Elizabeth Way Control Accessed Entire length. [2]
Veterans Memorial Parkway London Clarke Rd  Highway 401 Limited-Access No interchanges. However, continues north as Clarke Road [13]

Other limited-access provincial highways

Name City From To Notes Ref
 Hanlon Expressway (Highway 6 / Highway 7) Guelph Woodlawn Rd W  Highway 401 A few interchanges throughout the road. Planned to be upgraded to a fully controlled-access highway. [14][15]
 Thunder Bay Expressway (Highway 11 / Highway 17 / Highway 61) / TCH Thunder Bay Hodder Ave Arthur St W Undivided limited-access highway. Planned for twinning and upgrade to full freeway. [9]
 Southwest Bypass (Highway 17) / TCH Greater Sudbury 46°25′30″N 81°06′47″W / 46.425°N 81.113°W / 46.425; -81.113  Highway 69 / TCH Undivided with a few interchanges throughout the road. [16]
 Highway 26 Clearview 44°29′13″N 80°10′23″W / 44.487°N 80.173°W / 44.487; -80.173 44°27′40″N 80°06′43″W / 44.461°N 80.112°W / 44.461; -80.112 [17]

Future plans

Name From To Notes Ref
Bradford Bypass  Highway 400  Highway 404 Entire length. [18]
 Highway 6  Highway 401 Maddaugh Road See Ontario Highway 6#Future. [19]
 Highway 7 Kitchener Guelph See Ontario Highway 7#Proposed Kitchener–Guelph freeway. [20]
 Highway 69 45°56′42″N 80°34′55″W / 45.945°N 80.582°W / 45.945; -80.582  Highway 400 See Ontario Highway 69#Four-laning. [21]
 Highway 413  Highway 401 /  407 ETR  Highway 400 Entire length. [22]

Cancelled plans

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Official Road Map of Ontario - Web Map North" (PDF). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Official Road Map of Ontario - Web Map South" (PDF). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.
  3. ^ "Official Road Map of Ontario - Web Map Legend" (PDF). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.
  4. ^ "Glossary of terms in MTO | MTO Technical Consultation Portal". Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  5. ^ "R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 627: USE OF CONTROLLED-ACCESS HIGHWAYS BY PEDESTRIANS". Ontario.ca. December 15, 2021. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  6. ^ "Planned Function of the Airport Parkway" (PDF). ottawa.ca.
  7. ^ "Chapter 950 - Schedule 02 - Pedestrians Prohibited Certain Highways" (PDF). Municipal government of Toronto. February 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Drive Through Paradise: The History of Cootes Drive by Randy Kay - Issuu". issuu.com. 2013-04-21. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  9. ^ a b "City of Thunder Bay TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN Draft Final Report" (PDF). thunderbay.ca. July 2019.
  10. ^ "Ontario Highway 7 History - The King's Highways of Ontario". www.thekingshighway.ca. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  11. ^ "Construction Set to Begin on the Maley Drive Extension Project in Sudbury". news.ontario.ca. October 12, 2016. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  12. ^ Filey, Mike (2004). "City's First Superhighway". Toronto Sketches 8: The Way We Were. Dundurn Press. pp. 119–122. ISBN 1-55002-527-9. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  13. ^ MacRae, Doug (May 6, 2013). "Veterans Memorial Parkway Extension and Highway 401 Interchange Improvements". Municipal government of London.
  14. ^ Kirsch, Vik (September 4, 2004). "Expressway still the plan for Hanlon". Guelph Mercury. p. A1.
  15. ^ Philips, Rajan (March 7, 2008). Committee Report – Hanlon Expressway Environmental Assessment (PDF) (Report). City of Guelph. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  16. ^ writer, Ginger Livingston Staff (2019-11-21). "The wait is over: Southwest Bypass opening today". Reflector. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  17. ^ Gennings, Michael (November 15, 2012). "New Section of Highway 26 Open". Metroland Media. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  18. ^ McCormick Rankin (December 1997). Highway 400 – Highway 404 Extension Link (Bradford Bypass) – Route Planning and Environmental Assessment Study (PDF) (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. pp. 141–148. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Project Overview – Highways 6 & 401 Improvements". AECOM. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  20. ^ "Ontario Taking Next Step to Build New Highway 7". news.ontario.ca. February 14, 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  21. ^ "Highway 69 and 11 expansion rolling north". Northern Ontario Business. 2008-07-14. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  22. ^ Benzie, Robert (2024-05-23). "Doug Ford announces when Highway 413 construction will begin". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-07-29.