Plans in place to expand highways 6 and 401
The Ontario government has announced plans to widen highways 6 and 401 between Hamilton and Guelph from six lanes to ten, and bypass the village of Morriston.
The Ministry of Transportation says the new alignment and expansion will remove a significant bottleneck near Morriston where Highway 6 becomes a one-lane road in each direction. The new design will bypass Morriston and directly connect highways 6 and 401.
The section of Highway 6 through Morriston is one of the busiest two-lane provincial highways in Ontario.
“This project is essential to improving transportation between Hamilton and Highway 401” said Donna Skelly, MPP for Flamborough-Glanbrook. “It will improve the flow of traffic along this vital economic corridor, ensure the growth of the region and reduce the frustration of drivers and village residents trapped in lengthy traffic jams.”
The plan to expand highways 6 and 401 from Hamilton to Highway 401 includes:
- widening Highway 401 from six to ten lanes, including two managed lanes between Highway 6 North and Highway 6 South;
- building two new interchanges and improvements to existing interchanges; and,
- a new five-kilometre multi-lane divided highway, bypassing the community of Morriston.
"Highway 6 is a key transportation corridor in the region. That's why we are making historic investments to expand and modernize it," said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. "We are investing in these critical infrastructure projects to drive economic growth and create jobs during these extremely difficult times.”
The project is the latest in a series of announcements being made by the province in which it is spending $2.6 billion to expand and repair Ontario’s highways and bridges. Of that figure, more than $760 million has been tagged for expansion projects.
Preparatory construction, design and engineering work for both highways is underway. The timeline for completion is still being finalized.