The Ontario government says an expansion project that will widen highways 6 and 401 between Hamilton and Guelph in addition to circumnavigating the town of Morriston is underway.
The Ministry of Transportation says the new expansion is expected to remove the bottleneck near Morriston, where Highway 6 becomes a single lane in each direction. The new design will bypass Morriston and directly connect highways 401 and 6.
“This project is essential to improving transportation between Hamilton and Highway 401,” said Donna Skelly, MPP for Flamborough-Glanbrook. “It will improve the flow of traffic along this vital economic corridor, ensure the growth of the region and reduce the frustration of drivers and village residents trapped in lengthy traffic jams.”
The expansion includes:
- Widening Highway 401 from six to 10 lanes, including two managed lanes between Highway 6 north and Highway 6 south
- Constructing two new interchanges and improvements to existing interchanges
- A new five-kilometre, multi-lane divided highway, bypassing the community of Morriston
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“Highway 6 is a key transportation corridor in the region. That’s why we are making historic investments to expand and modernize it,” said Caroline Mulroney, minister of transportation. “We are investing in these critical infrastructure projects to drive economic growth and create jobs during these extremely difficult times.”
The province says Highway 6 through Morriston is one of the busiest two-lane provincial highways in Ontario. The project is a part of an overall $2.6-billion expansion and repair plan for Ontario’s highways and bridges. About $764 million of the funding will be earmarked for expansion projects alone.
Preparatory construction, design and engineering work for both highways is underway. The ministry says the timeline for completion is still being finalized.
The province says impacts to those travelling on the roadway will be notified of detours at a later date.
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