King's Highway 407, commonly referred to as Highway 407 and colloquially as the "four-oh-seven", is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Comprising a tolled privately leased segment and a publicly owned segment, the route spans the entire Greater Toronto Area (GTA) around the city of Toronto, travelling through the suburbs of Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Pickering, Whitby, and Oshawa before ending in Clarington, north of Orono and Newcastle. At long, it is the fourth-longest expressway in Ontario's 400-series network, after Highways 417, 400, and 401. The tolled segment between Burlington and Brougham in Pickering is leased to and operated by the 407 ETR Concession Company Limited and is officially known as the 407 Express Toll Route (407 ETR). It begins at the Freeman Interchange between the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and Highway 403 in Burlington; the highway travels across the urban GTA to Brock Road in Pickering. East of Brock Road, the freeway continues east as Highway 407 (referred to as Highway 407 East during development to distinguish it from 407 ETR), a route operated by the provincial government and formerly tolled, for to Highway 35/115 in Clarington. The route interchanges with nine freeways in Ontario: the QEW, Highway 403, Highway 401, Highway 410, Highway 427, Highway 400, Highway 404, Highway 412, and Highway 418. 407 ETR is an electronically operated toll highway; there are no toll booths along the route. Distances are calculated automatically using transponders or automatic number-plate recognition, which are scanned at entrance and exit portals.
Highway 407 was planned in the late 1950s as a freeway bypassing Toronto's segment of Highway 401, the busiest highway in North America. However, construction did not begin until 1987. During the early 1990s, the provincial government proposed tolling the highway to alleviate a revenue shortfall. The central sections of Highway 407 opened in 1997, and the remaining sections were built quickly over the following four years, with the final segment opening in mid-2001. The segment is operated privately under a 99-year lease agreement signed with the Conservative provincial government, which was sold in 1999 for about C$3.1 billion to a consortium of Canadian and Spanish investors operating under the name 407 International Inc. The privatization of the Highway 407 ETR section has been the source of significant criticism, especially regarding increases in tolls, plate denial, and false charges. In addition, the safety of segments built after the sale of the freeway has been called into question.
Phase 1 of a provincially owned and tolled extension of the route, known solely as Highway 407 (not Highway 407 ETR), opened to traffic from Brock Road in Pickering to Harmony Road in Oshawa on June 20, 2016. Included as part of this extension was the construction of a tolled north–south link between Highways 401 and 407, known as Highway 412. Although the general public felt that tolling made the highway a luxury rather than fulfilling its original purpose of relieving traffic on Highway 401, Highway 407 ETR had average daily trip counts of over 350,000 vehicles in June 2014. The 407 ETR is contractually responsible for maintaining high traffic levels as justification for increasing tolls, but conducts its own traffic studies. Unlike most Ontario highways, it features concrete pavement as opposed to top-coated asphalt. Because of this, the high-mast lighting along the urban portions of the route features fewer luminaires than asphalt-surfaced freeways.
Burlington–Vaughan
Highway 407 begins in Burlington within Halton Region (part of the GTA) at the Freeman Interchange between Highway 403 and the QEW, from which it branches off northward. The six-lane route passes under Brant Street (Halton Regional Road 18), Upper Middle Road, and Guelph Line (Halton Regional Road 1), before it interchanges with Dundas Street (Halton Regional Road 5, formerly Highway 5). It briefly enters green space as it curves gently to the northeast, ultimately avoiding the nearby Niagara Escarpment. The route is crossed by Walkers Line, east of which residential subdivisions line the south side and green space lines the north of the highway. At an interchange with Appleby Line (Halton Regional Road 20), the highway straightens and travels parallel to Dundas Street before passing over Bronte Creek and under the Canadian National Railway's (CN) Halton Subdivision.
Highway 407 originally ended just south of Brougham, Pickering at a signalized intersection with Brock Road (Durham Regional Road 1) until the end of 2015, where it continued eastward as Highway 7.
Pickering–Clarington
thumb|Sign for the transition between 407 ETR and 407 East in Pickering, west of Brock Road.
Immediately east of Brock Road, drivers enter the provincially operated portion of the highway. Right before Brock Road, the freeway turns northeast. After interchanging with Brock Road (near Brougham), Highway 407E is crossed by Highway 7 (now a provincial highway) and Sideline 14 before it slowly eases due east. The freeway is flanked by farmland is then crossed by Westney Road (Durham Regional Road 31), Salem Road, where there is a maintenance depot, and Kinsale Road before crossing the Pickering–Whitby border at an interchange with Lake Ridge Road (Durham Regional Road 23). Immediately east of Lake Ridge Road, the freeway meets with Ontario Highway 412 at a large Y-interchange.
Still within Greater Toronto, Highway 407 curves southeast to bypass the town of Brooklin. It is crossed by Highway 7 once again before interchanging with Highway 12/Baldwin Street (or Durham Regional Road 12) and Thickson Road (Durham Regional Road 26). The freeway becomes parallel with a hydro corridor briefly. Once again, the freeway curves northeast, crossing the Whitby–Oshawa boundary, passing over Thornton Road and Winchester Road (Durham Regional Road 3) before interchanging with Simcoe Street (Durham Regional Road 2) and Harmony Road (Durham Regional Road 33). The freeway then curves sharply southeast, crossing under the hydro lines it was just parallel to, crossing Winchester Road for the last time, and crossing the Oshawa–Clarington border. The freeway is then crossed by Langmaid Road and Concession Road 6 before turning due east and interchanging with Enfield Road (Durham Regional Road 34). The freeway passes south of the hamlet of Solina before meeting Ontario Highway 418 at another large Y-interchange. East of the 418, Highway 407 crosses under transmission lines.
Highway 407 then jogs north of the hamlet of Hampton before interchanging with Bowmanville Avenue (Durham Regional Road 57). The freeway is crossed by Middle Road, Liberty Street, and Bethesda Road before it turns slightly northeast. The freeway interchanges with Darlington-Clarke Townline with a B4 Parclo Interchange, which is the last interchange on the freeway. After crossing under hydro lines, the freeway crosses Leskard Road and Best Road, before ending at Highway 35/Highway 115 within Clarington, north of Newcastle, with a modified trumpet interchange.
Both Phase 1 of the 407 East Extension, as far as Harmony Road in Oshawa, and Highway 412 opened to traffic on June 20, 2016. Toll rates are set by the 407 ETR and the Province of Ontario for their respectively owned sections. However, the province set out limitations in the 407 ETR lease contract for maintaining traffic volumes to justify toll rates. Despite this, rates have increased annually against the requests of the provincial government, resulting in several court battles and the general public regarding the route as a luxury. This process was temporarily halted in February 2000 due to numerous false billing claims. Following a decision by the Ontario Divisional Court on November 7, 2005, the Ontario Registrar of Motor Vehicles was ordered to begin denying the validation or issue of Ontario licence plates and vehicle permits for 407 ETR users who have failed to pay owed fees. On November 22, 2005, the MTO announced that it would appeal the decision but would begin to deny plates until the appeal was decided. On February 24, 2006, the Ontario Court of Appeals denied the government leave to appeal the 2005 decision. As a result, plate denial remains in place.
Rates
- Users of both 407 ETR and Highways 407E/412/418 only receive one bill, with trips on each highway specified.
- 407 ETR transponders were compatible with Highways 407E, 412, 418.
As of February 1, 2020, the base tolls for driving on the 407 ETR are as follows:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan = 3 style="text-align:center;"| Duty Class
! colspan= 4| Light
! colspan= 4| Heavy
! colspan= 4| Heavy Multi-unit
|-
! colspan = 3 style="text-align:center;"| Zone
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
|-
! rowspan= 8 | Time
| colspan= 2 | off-peak
| colspan= 4 | 25.29¢/km
| colspan= 4 | 50.58¢/km
| colspan= 4 | 75.87¢/km
|-
| 06:00–07:00
| WB<br />EB
| 42.85<br />43.76
| 42.83<br />48.29
| 46.31<br />47.43
| 44.86<br />42.04
| 85.70<br />87.52
| 85.66<br />96.58
| 92.62<br />94.86
| 89.72<br />84.08
| 128.55<br />131.28
| 128.49<br />144.87
| 138.93<br />142.29
| 134.58<br />126.12
|-
| 07:00–09:30
| WB<br />EB
| 48.74<br />55.13
| 50.89<br />56.44
| 54.43<br />56.43
| 54.93<br />47.83
| 97.48<br />110.26
| 101.78<br />112.88
| 108.86<br />112.86
| 109.86<br />95.66
| 146.22<br />165.39
| 152.67<br />169.32
| 163.29<br />169.29
| 164.79<br />143.49
|-
| 09:30–10:30
| WB<br />EB
| 42.53<br />45.45
| 44.02<br />48.29
| 46.58<br />47.43
| 46.58<br />42.04
| 85.06<br />90.90
| 88.04<br />96.58
| 93.16<br />94.86
| 93.16<br />84.08
| 127.59<br />136.35
| 132.06<br />144.87
| 139.74<br />142.29
| 139.74<br />126.12
|-
| 10:30–14:30
| WB<br />EB
| 39.07
| 39.07<br />40.17
| 40.17<br />40.90
| 39.07<br />38.47
| 78.14
| 78.14<br />80.34
| 80.34<br />81.80
| 78.14<br />76.94
| 117.21
| 117.21<br />120.51
| 120.51<br />122.70
| 117.21<br />115.41
|-
| 14:30–15:30<br />18:00–19:00
| WB<br />EB
| 51.93<br />44.04
| 50.55<br />48.98
| 51.01<br />51.92
| 43.62<br />48.61
| 103.86<br />88.08
| 101.10<br />97.96
| 102.02<br />103.84
| 87.84<br />97.22
| 155.79<br />132.12
| 151.65<br />146.94
| 153.03<br />155.76
| 130.86<br />145.83
|-
| 15:30–18:00
| WB<br />EB
| 61.14<br />50.10
| 55.45<br />59.00
| 58.99<br />62.24
| 49.56<br />58.48
| 122.28<br />100.20
| 110.90<br />118.00
| 117.98<br />124.48
| 99.12<br />116.96
| 183.42<br />150.30
| 166.35<br />177.00
| 176.97<br />186.72
| 148.68<br />175.44
|-
| Midday (weekends & holidays)
| WB<br />EB
| 34.63<br />35.96
| colspan= 2 | 35.96¢/km
| 34.63
| 69.26<br />71.92
| colspan= 2 | 71.92¢/km
| 69.26
| 103.89<br />107.88
| colspan= 2 | 107.88¢/km
| 103.89
|-
! rowspan = 2 | Minimum charge<br />(vehicle with transponder)
| colspan = 2 | Peak
| rowspan = 2 colspan = 4 | N/A
| colspan = 4 | $19.85/journey
| colspan = 4 | $36.95/journey
|-
| colspan = 2 | Off peak
| colspan = 4 | $12.80/journey
| colspan = 4 | $23.85/journey
|-
! Accessory Charge
| colspan = 2 | Trip toll
| colspan = 4 | $1/journey
| colspan = 4 | $2/journey
| colspan = 4 | $3/journey
|-
! rowspan = 2 | Additional Charge<br />Journey without transponder
| colspan = 2 | Video toll
| colspan = 4 | $4.20/journey*
| colspan = 4 | $50.00/journey**
| colspan = 4 | $50.00/journey**
|-
| colspan = 2 | Account fee
| colspan = 12 | $3.95
|-
! rowspan = 2 | Transponder Lease
| colspan = 2 | Annually
| colspan = 12 | $24.50
|-
| colspan = 2 | Monthly
| colspan = 12 | $3.95
|-
|}
- Starting February 1, 2018, there are 4 zones: 1 from QEW/403 to 401, 2 from 401 to 427, 3 from 427 to 404 and 4 from 404 to 407E (Brock Rd.)
- The toll rate that applies to a specific trip is determined by the time at which a vehicle enters the highway.
- Off-peak rates are in effect 19:00–06:00 Monday to Friday except public holidays, and 19:00–11:00 Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.
- Midday weekday rates are in effect 10:00–14:30, Monday to Friday except for holidays.
- Midday weekend/holiday rates are in effect 11:00–19:00, Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.
- Peak period rates are in effect 06:00–07:00, 09:00–10:00, 14:30–15:30 and 18:00–19:00, Monday to Friday except for public holidays.
- Peak hours rates are in effect 07:00–09:00 and 15:30–18:00, Monday to Friday except for public holidays.
- Heavy goods vehicles and lorries are assessed a minimum toll regardless of the length of their trip.
: * Light goods vehicles without transponders are assessed an additional video toll. Motorcycles are not charged a video toll because there is rarely a suitable place to mount a transponder.
: ** Heavy-duty vehicles are legally required to have transponders in order to use the highway; offenders may be penalized under the Highway Traffic Act.
Provincially operated section
[[File:Ontario 407 Toll.svg|right|thumb|80px|Shield
with former toll tab]]
To compensate for opening delays, tolling of both the Highway 407 extension and Highway 412 did not commence until February 2017. The tolls also applied to Highway 418 when first opened in December 2019. On June 1, 2025, following a promise made during the 2025 Ontario general election, the provincially operated section of Highway 407 became toll-free. The following tolls show what drivers were charged prior to removal:
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan = 2 | Time period
! scope="col" colspan = 6 | Duty class
|-
<!-- | colspan = 1 style="text-align:right;"| Duty Class -->
! scope="col" colspan= 2 | Light
- All Heavy Unit vehicles were legally required to have transponders in order to use the highways; offenders may have been penalized under the Highway Traffic Act. <!-- according to signage along freeway entrances -->
Financial
Lease ownership
As of September 2024, and unchanged since 2019, ownership of the 407 ETR Concession Company Limited ("407 ETR"), the operator and manager of the highway, is as follows:
- Indirectly owned subsidiaries of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board: 50.01%
- Cintra Global S.E., a subsidiary of Spanish firm Ferrovial S.A.: 43.23%
- AtkinsRéalis Canada Inc.: 6.76%
In March 2025, AtkinsRéalis sold their remaining share of the highway bringing the ownership totals to as follows:
- Indirectly owned subsidiaries of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board: 51.71%
- Cintra Global S.E., a subsidiary of Spanish firm Ferrovial S.A.: 48.29%
Revenue and profit
The concession has been called a "cash cow" for AtkinsRéalis (then known as SNC-Lavalin), while local media has commented on the "huge jump" or "soar" in profits.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Income 407
! Year !! Revenue<br />(millions) !! Net Income<br />(millions) !! Annual Net income<br />increase (decrease) !! Interest expense<br />(millions) !! Dividends paid<br />(millions) !! Cumulative<br />Dividends paid<br />(millions)!! Long-term<br />debt outstanding (millions) !! Approx Average<br />interest rate<br />on long-term debt !! Net long-term<br />debt added<br />(issued - repaid<br />in millions) !! Dividend payout ratio !! EBIT<br />(millions) !! Times interest earned<br />(Interest Coverage Ratio) !! Expenses (millions)!! Operating Expenses (millions)
|-
| 1999 || $112 || ($50.5)|| || $110 || || ||$2,890 || ||$2,811 || || $91 || 0.5 || 98.9 || 64.2
|-
| 2001 || $244 || ($96.5)|| || $197 || $0 || ||$3,663 || 6.3% ||$656.8 || || $159 || 0.6 || 151.6 || 103.5
|-
| 2003 || $343.3 || ($75.2)|| || $268 || $55.3 || $103.8 ||$3,923 || 6.2% ||$72 || || $223 || 0.7 || 160.4 || 105.8
|-
| 2005 || $420.2 || ($27.5)|| || $287 || $85 || $251.7 ||$4,347 || 5.8% ||($6.4) || 276% || $290 || 1.2 || 165.3 || 103.0
|-
| 2007 || $519 || $60.3 || 24% || $282 || $120 || $517 ||$4,594 || 5.2% ||$113 || 113% || $342 || 1.5 || 204.2 || 132.2
|-
| 2009 || $560 || $58.2 || (49%) || $372 || $190 || $842 ||$4,103 || 5.4% ||$92 || 389% || $443 || 1.3 || 181.1 || 124.2
|-
| 2011 || $675 || $128.3 || 67% || $335 || $460 || $1,602 ||$5,365 || 5.2% ||$41.7 || 358%|| $ || || 179.6||121.2
|-
| 2013 || $801 || $248.7 || 43% || $273 || $690 || $2,892 ||$6,204 || 5.0% ||$460 || 277%|| $ || || 199||136.4
|-
| 2015 || $980 || $311.2 || 39% || $336 || $750 || $4,372 ||$7,133 || 4.7% ||$336.7 || 241% || $ || || 248.2||162.2
|-
| 2017 || $1,267.7 || $470.1 || 26% || $372 || $845 || $5,607 || $8,298 || 4.5% || $558 || 180% || $ || || 269.7||163.9
|-
| 2019 || $1,505.3 || $575.7 || 7% || $ || $1,050 || $ || $8,913 || 4.4% || $ || 182% || $ || || 301.7 || 196.2
|-
| 2020 || $908.6 || $148.0 || (74%) || $ || $ || $ || $9,627 || 4.1% || $705.4 || 380% || $643 || 1.4 || 266.1 || 168.7
|-
| 2021 || $1,023.1 || $212.4 || 44% || $470 || $600 || $9,140 || $9,681 || 4.1% || ($14.2) || 282% || $757 || 1.6 || 266.3 || 164.1
|-
| 2022 || $1,327.2 || $435.3 || 105% || $470 || $750 || $9,890 || $10,092 || 4.1% || $359.8 || 172% || $1,039 || 2.2 || 288.4 || 188.4
|-
|2023
|$1,495.5
|$567.3
|30%
|$473
|$950
|$10,840
|$10,316
|
|$286
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2024
|$1,705.2
|$692.2
|22%
|$463.7
|$1100
|$11,940
|$11,103
|
|$286
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| Total || $20,510 || $4,938 || || $7,971 || $11,940 || N/A||N/A ||N/A ||$11,103 The toll concession was sold for $3.1 billion.
On October 5, 2010, the Canada Pension Plan announced that an agreement had been reached with the highway's owners to purchase a 10% stake for $894 million. This implied a value of close to $9 billion for the highway in its then-current state.
In April 2019, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. announced the sale of a 10.01% share of the highway to the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) for $3.25 billion, implying a $32.5 billion valuation of the highway. After the sale, SNC-Lavalin would own only 6.76% of the highway. In August 2019, a court approved the sale of SNC-Lavalin's 10% stake to CPPIB instead of to OMERS. This arrangement allowed for the construction to be accelerated, creating jobs during the recession. The PPP contracting also enabled design modifications that reduced construction costs while maintaining safety standards. Retrofitting toll booths into already designed and constructed interchanges threatened the viability of the plan. The innovative use of automated cameras to read license plates overcame this challenge, and along with transponders for regular users avoided driver delays and provided increased convenience. This resulted in the 407 becoming "the world's first all-electronic, barrier-free toll highway".
Financing for the highway was to be paid by user tolls lasting 35 years, after which it would return to the provincial system as a toll-free 400-series highway. The Rae government announced on March 31, 1995, that the corridor reserved for Highway 403 between Burlington and Oakville would instead be built as a western extension of Highway 407.
The first segment of Highway 407, between Highway 410 and Highway 404, was ceremonially opened to traffic on June 7, 1997; no tolls were charged for a month to allow motorists to test-drive the freeway.
That section was connected with Highway 403 to the south on September 4, 1998,
In the east, an extension to Markham Road, at what was then the southern terminus of Highway 48, was completed in early 1998. However, due to the protest of local residents and officials concerning traffic spill-off (a scenario revisited with the extension to Oshawa), the freeway was opened only as far as McCowan Road on February 18.
The short segment from McCowan Road to Markham Road remained closed for over a year, as locals feared the funneling of traffic onto Main Street, which is named "Markham Road" south of the freeway. Both Markham and McCowan Roads were widened to four lanes between Highway 407 and Steeles Avenue at this time. This did not alleviate concerns, but on June 24, 1999, the extension opened to continue protest regardless.
In 2000, the 407 consortium had planned to extend the four lane highway by eastward from Markham to Brock Road in Pickering by the end of the following year.
The segment of Highway 407 from Markham to Brock Road in Pickering opened on August 24, 2001.
Privatization and original extensions
When Mike Harris was elected Premier in 1995 on his platform of the Common Sense Revolution, the Ontario government faced an $11 billion annual deficit and a $100 billion debt. Seeking to balance the books, a number of publicly owned services were privatized over the following years. Although initially spared, Highway 407 was privatized quickly in the year leading up to the 1999 provincial elections. It was leased to a conglomerate of private companies for $3.1 billion. The Ontario-based corporation, known as 407 International Inc., was initially owned by the Spanish multinational Ferrovial through its subsidiary Cintra Infraestructuras (61.3%), the Montreal-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin (22.6%), and CDP Capital (16.1%). The 99-year lease agreement granted the consortium unlimited control over the highway and its tolls, dependent on traffic volume; however, the government maintains the right to build a transport system within the highway right-of-way.
When purchased, the highway travelled from the junction of Highway 403 in Mississauga to Markham Road in Markham. Extensions westward to the QEW and eastward to Highway 7 and Brock Road in Pickering were constructed by the corporation, as mandated in the lease agreement. The western extension, from Highway 403 southwest to the QEW, was not part of the original Highway 407 concept in 1987; rather, the corridor was originally intended to connect the Hamilton and Mississauga sections of Highway 403. Highway 407 was originally slated to assume the temporary routing for Highway 403 along the Mississauga-Oakville boundary to end at the QEW. However, the Bob Rae led Ontario government altered these plans in 1995, Phase 2A, which opened on January 2, 2018, added a extension to Taunton Road at the future Highway 418 interchange. and the EA was completed in June 2009. On March 6, 2007, as part of the FLOW initiative, the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario confirmed the extension of the 407 to Highway 35 and Highway 115 in the Municipality of Clarington, including the connector highways, with an announced completion date of 2013.
On January 27, 2009, the provincial government announced that the extension would be a tolled highway but owned by the province and with tolls set by the province. The announcement also indicated that the province expected to issue a Request for Proposals later in the year.
The contract, which is valued at $1.6 billion and includes construction and operation of the highway, was eventually awarded to the same consortium that owns 407 ETR.
thumb|A bridge under construction along Highway 7 west of Brooklin in 2012; this was the first project along the new extension.|alt=
On June 9, 2010, the MTO approved the extension as far east as Simcoe Street in Oshawa, announcing plans to phase construction of the extension. Local residents and politicians rejected the plan, as had happened with the section between McCowan Road and Markham Road. This timeline was confirmed by Premier Dalton McGuinty on May 24, 2012, and construction began in the first quarter of 2013.
In early December 2015, it was announced that contractor delays would push the opening of the first phase from December 18 to the spring of 2016.
The extension did not open until the morning of June 20, 2016, in the last hours of Spring 2016.
Since completion
Between 2018 and 2019, Highway 407 was widened between Markham Road and Brock Road. The first project, widening the highway to 6 lanes between York-Durham Line and Brock Road, began in Spring 2018 and was completed in August 2018. The second project, which widened the highway to 8 lanes between Markham Road and York-Durham Line, was completed in September 2019.
In the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario's 2025 re-election campaign, Premier Doug Ford stated that a re-elected Progressive Conservative government would remove tolls from the provincially-owned portion of the highway. Tolls were subsequently removed on June 1, 2025, as part of the spring budget.
There are currently plans for multiple new interchanges, as well as reconstruction of the ramps with route 401 to serve route 413. The government of Ontario is also considering widening of the toll-free section, Hwy. 407 East.
Controversies
thumb|left|Signage on eastbound Highway 403 in Burlington approaching the Freeman Interchange, where motorists wanting to take 407 ETR must exit to the left. This can potentially cause problems for drivers, such as weaving across traffic to avoid exiting and being billed for accidentally driving on the highway.
Highway 407 ETR has been the subject of several controversies over its two decades of existence.
Privatization
The privatization of the road, the toll rate increases, and the 99-year lease period have been widely criticized.
- The original plan was for the tolls to end after the construction cost was paid off, probably after about 35 years; there is no indication that the private owners will eliminate the tolls.
- Although Premier Mike Harris promised that tolls would not rise by more than 30 percent, they have risen by over 200 percent by 2015, from about 10 cents to over 30 cents per kilometre. By 2019, the estimated value had risen to C$30 billion. An expert panel of engineers, assembled by the Professional Engineers Ontario, released a report outlining concerns regarding the decreased loop ramp radii and the lack of protective guardrails along sharp curves, in addition to the lack of a concrete median barrier to separate the two travel directions. However, it was also argued that the large grass median was sufficient to prevent crossover collisions, given that Highway 410 has a similar median.
Toll rate approval
The Ontario provincial government has quarrelled with 407 ETR over toll rates and customer service but is largely tied down by the lease contract. On February 2, 2004, the government notified 407 ETR that it was considered to be in default of the contract because of 407 ETR's decision to raise toll rates without first obtaining provincial clearance. The court's initial decision sided with 407 ETR: on July 10, 2004, an independent arbitrator affirmed that 407 ETR has the power to raise toll rates without first consulting the government. The government filed an appeal of this decision but was overruled by an Ontario Superior Court decision released on January 6, 2005; however, a subsequent ruling by the Ontario Court of Appeal on June 13, 2005, granted the government permission to appeal the decision.
Around the same time, the government also faced off against 407 ETR in court regarding plate denial. In 2016, after a four-year legal battle, consumers won an $8 million class action lawsuit.
Comparative toll rates
The 407 ETR and Cobequid Pass Toll Highway (Trans Canada Highway in Nova Scotia) are the only two toll highways (not counting toll bridges on highways) in Canada.
Some other toll rates are:
- New York State Niagara Thruway, exit 1 to exit 20B, approx. 30 km, US$1 cash, about C$1.33, or about $0.044 per km (2019)
- Cobequid Pass Toll Highway in Nova Scotia, flat rate $4 cash, for approximately 25 km of highway, or about $0.16 per km (2019)
- Chicago Skyway $0.28 per km (2012) Interchanges with future extensions of Peter Matthews Drive (at the current North Road overpass, near Whitevale) and Whites Road (currently Sideline 26) will be built as part of the large road network planned for the development.
See also
- Private highway
- Maryland Route 200, a similar toll road in Maryland, United States.
References
External links
; Official links
- , privately operated section
- , publicly operated section
- 407 East Phase 1 webpage
- Highway 407 Act, 1998
- Highway 407 Safety Review Committee report (archived copy)
; Other links
- Video of Highway 407 eastbound from Burlington to Vaughan
- Video of Highway 407 eastbound from Vaughan to Oshawa
- Highway 407 at OntHighways.com