Crews have widened sections of the highway from Coughlin Road to Highway 582 and from Highway 587 to Pearl Lake.

So far, no project has received the national interest designation, which would help garner special treatment to help it move forward.

The plan calls for the construction of a new event centre, new north side stands for the TD Place stadium, a new retail space and two residential towers.

Once complete, the facility would become North America’s first cobalt sulfate refinery, producing 6,500 tonnes of battery-grade cobalt annually.

Ford laid out his plan for the tunnel to be 19.5 metres wide and three levels, with one level each for eastbound and westbound traffic and another for transit.