The 401

[Mister F]

I can't see any way to justify 6 laning the entire length of the 401. What comparable areas have a 6 lane highway of that length? I can think of I-90 through the US Northeast Corridor and the M40/M6 through the length of England, but both of those regions have 3-4 times the population density of the Windsor-Quebec Corridor. I think we're too reliant on the 401; it's the only major route through the area. We would do well to have stronger alternate routes and modes for travel to Ottawa and Quebec.

Ontario/Canada would do better to invest in a robust passenger rail system through the corridor (Via Rail's dedicated tracks proposal would be a good start) combined with upgrades to Highway 7. It wouldn't have to be built to 400-series standards; something like an at grade expressway or super-2 would improve travel times enough to divert quite a bit of traffic off the 401.