Highway 407 (Ontario) - Definition and Overview

This article or section should include material from 407 ETR International

Highway 407, officially called 407 ETR, is a pay-per-use freeway located in south-central Ontario's Greater Toronto Area. It begins at the junction of the Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 403 in Burlington (just outside Hamilton) and travels 108 km across the surrounding cities of Toronto to end at Highway 7 and Brock Road (Durham Regional Road 1) in Pickering.

Originally planned as a public-private partnership in road building, the highway was sold by the Province of Ontario to private owners for a 99 year lease to be returned to public ownership at the end of the lease.

The completed highway cost about $1.6 billion in 1997 and the 407 ETR bought it in 1999 for $3.1 billion. The current road is 108.081 kilometres in length, stretching from Burlington to Pickering.

Plans are currently underway to extend the highway further east through Durham Region, eventually ending at the junction of Highway 35 in Orono. It has also been suggested that the Highway 115 designation will be retired in favor of Highway 407 between Orono and Peterborough, as that section is already up to 400-series standards and the RIRO section south to Highway 401 is multiplexed with Highway 35. Highway 407 is seen as a bypass of Highway 401, the main trunk route though Southern Ontario and the world's busiest highway with well over 500,000 average daily trips on a section between Highway 427 and Highway 404.

Major freeway junctions are located at (from West to East) the Queen Elizabeth Way, Highway 403, Highway 401, Highway 410, Highway 427, Highway 400 and Highway 404. Other major street junctions include Bronte Road (Halton Regional Road 25), Hurontario Street, Highway 27, Yonge Street and Markham Road (Highway 48). Overall there are 40 different junctions on Highway 407 connecting the toll road with the main transportation network in the Greater Toronto Area.

Unique characteristics

The 407 uses a system of cameras and transponders to toll people automatically. There are no toll booths. A radio antenna detects when a vehicle with a transponder has entered and exited the highway, calculating the toll rate. For vehicles without a transponder, a camera takes a picture of the license plate. Monthly statements are mailed to users. The name Express Toll Route (ETR) is used since there are no toll boths to stop at. The ETR is the world's first highway to feature this system throughout.

The 407 is not a government-controlled highway, though it does operate under a mostly secret contract from the government. A 99-year lease to the highway was sold by the provincial government to 407 ETR International Inc. for approximately 3.1 billion Canadian dollars in 1999. Highway 407 is believed to be the first financially successful privately-owned toll road in North America.

Future of the 407

Recently, the Ontario provincial government has quarrelled with 407 ETR over toll rates and customer service. On February 2 2004, the government delivered notice to 407 ETR that they are considered to be in default of their contract because of 407 ETR's decision to raise toll rates without first obtaining the government's permission. The court's initial decision sided with 407 ETR: on July 10 2004, an independent arbitrator affirmed that 407 ETR has the ability to raise toll rates without first consulting the government. The government filed an appeal of this decision but was overruled by a Ontario Superior Court decision released on January 6 2005.

Cost of the 407

Current tolls run 13.1 cents per kilometer for cars and light trucks during off-peak times and 13.95 cents per kilometer for cars and light trucks during peak times. If a vehicle does not have a transponder, an additional $3.35 is charged per trip. This fee is in addition to a $2 Account Fee each month the 407 ETR is used. For transponder accounts, there is a monthly $1 Account Fee and $1 Lease Payment per transponder. This makes the 407 the most expensive toll road in North America, despite claims made otherwise by the owners of the 407. Because of a Ontario Superior Court ruling issued on January 6 2005, tolls of cars and other light vehicles will increase by one cent per kilometre to 14.95 cents during peak hours and 14.1 cents during off-peak hours.

Interchanges from East to West

• *Exit number not posted (or future interchange), based on kilometre post.

Possible 407 East Interchanges from East to West (exit numbers assumed)

• From Exit 150 to the end, current Highway 115 interchanges are used based on suggestions of a renumbering, they are not currently numbered.

See also

• 400-Series Highway
• Garden State Parkway
• New Jersey Turnpike
• New England Thruway
• New York State Thruway

External links

• 407/ETR Official Website (http://www.407etr.com)
• Ontario Ministry of Transportation (http://www.mto.gov.on.ca)