110 km/h to be new speed limit on Highway 401 in Windsor-Essex

The speed limit on Highway 401 from Windsor to Tilbury will be permanently raised to 110 km/h as of next month, the province announced Tuesday.

The Ontario government is raising the speed limit on six sections of provincial highways in southern Ontario following several speed limit pilots and consultations to align posted speed with other areas across Canada.

“Our government continues to find new ways to make life easier and more convenient for families and businesses that depend on highways to get where they need to go,” Caroline Mulroney, minister of transportation, said. “With road safety top of mind, these sections have been carefully selected based on their ability to accommodate higher speed limits.”

Starting April 22, the speed limit will be raised from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on the following sections of Ontario highways:

• Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) from Hamilton to St. Catharines (32 km)
• Highway 402 from London to Sarnia (90 km)
• Highway 417 from Ottawa to the Ontario/Quebec Border (102 km)
• Highway 401 from Windsor to Tilbury (approx. 40 km)
• Highway 404 from Newmarket to Woodbine (approx. 16 km)
• Highway 417 from Kanata to Arnprior (approx. 37 km)

The Ontario government launched an online survey in September 2019 to gather feedback when high speed limit pilots were introduced in some areas.

The province says of the 8,300 people that responded, about 80 per cent were in support of the pilots and 82 per cent said they support raising the speed limits on more areas of the 400-series highways.

A news release from the province says the Ministry of Transportation has been monitoring all raised speed limit sections for safety and observations and has found the areas with a raised limit have been operating “as expected.”

The speeds and collision trends within these areas have remained comparable to similar highway areas where the speed limits remain at 100 km/h.

Sections of Ontario highways that will see an increased speed limit of 110 km/h starting April 22. (Courtesy: Government of Ontario)