Ontario raises limits to 110 km/h on 1,000 km of highways

Ontario is raising speed limits on nearly 1,000 kilometres of its provincial highway network, with the first increases taking effect on Friday, June 26. The permanent change will raise the limit from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on select sections of Highways 401 and 416 in Eastern Ontario, marking the start of a province-wide rollout scheduled to continue through September 30.

The expansion will ultimately bring 89 percent of provincially owned 400-series highways to the 110 km/h limit, up from 43 percent currently. Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria stated the changes will significantly reduce travel times, estimating drivers could save nearly 20 minutes on a trip from Sarnia to Toronto and nearly half an hour from Toronto to Ottawa.

The program is being implemented in phases throughout the summer. Following the initial changes on Highways 401 and 416, additional sections of Highways 400, 401, 402, 403, 416, 417, and the Queen Elizabeth Way are scheduled for increases on July 31, August 21, August 31, and September 30. The government emphasized that speed limit increases are only applied to highways that have undergone rigorous technical reviews and any necessary infrastructure...