30 year roads-and-traffic plan for Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe released
Map: Ontario.ca
With the population of the Greater Golden Horseshoe expected to reach almost 15 million people over the next 30 years, the Ontario government has released Connecting the GGH: A Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. With more than 100 immediate and near-term actions, including building Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass. The purpose of the plan is to support population and employment growth, reduce gridlock, connect communities, and improve people’s access to jobs, housing, health care and education.
Connecting the GGH: A Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe is an evergreen, living document that will continuously evolve, be updated and improved to meet forecasted growth and future needs of the region. To this end, the province will continue to work closely with municipal, Indigenous and Francophone communities, transportation agencies, industry and businesses to align planning and keep this vital region moving.
As part of the plan, the province will establish a taskforce of local leaders to advise on additional ways to improve connections between modes and communities, support regional tourism and help keep people and goods moving.
The Greater Golden Horseshoe is the urban region centred around the City of Toronto. It extends from Waterloo, Wellington and Brant County in the west, Peterborough and Northumberland in the east, Simcoe County in the north, and Haldimand and Niagara in the south.
By 2051, population and employment figures in the Greater Golden Horseshoe are forecast to grow from 10 million to 14.9 million people, and 4.9 million to 7 million jobs, respectively.
The region is a nationally significant hub for goods movement and business travel that sees $1.16 trillion in goods transported annually on its highways.
Ontario is developing regional plans that will help build a better transportation system across the province. In 2020, Ontario released the Connecting the Southwest: A Draft Transportation Plan for Southwestern Ontario and Connecting the North: A Draft Transportation Plan for Northern Ontario. Regional planning is also underway for eastern Ontario, as well as an integrated Ontario-wide strategy.
You can read the full plan here.
