‘Truly bonkers’: Ford’s 401 tunnel idea met with ridicule, applause

By Michael Talbot

An innovative solution to a growing problem, or an unrealistic and laughable pipe dream?

Reaction to Premier Doug Ford’s plan to explore the feasibility of building a tunnel under Highway 401 tickled those two extremes on Wednesday.

His supporters said it represented the type of outside-the-box thinking that’s needed to tackle the region’s traffic woes.

His detractors say the only thing Doug will be digging is a huge financial hole.

Politicians, pundits, and every day citizens were quick to weigh in.

Toronto city councillor Josh Matlow called the idea “truly bonkers.”

“Doug Ford is going waste billions of tax dollars and create construction chaos along the 401 corridor for years, all while jamming even more congestion into an expensive tunnel. I wish he’d focus on completing the transit projects we’re still waiting for,” he wrote in a post on X.

The Toronto Region Board of Trade applauded the Ford government for its “visionary thinking” in a social media post.

“We need big and bold ideas, and a transit line under the 401 is exactly the kind of visionary thinking governments should pursue. The Highway 401 tunnel expressway feasibility study marks a pivotal moment in addressing the GTHA’s deepening congestion crisis.”

Terry Doyle offered a “cheaper, and quicker idea” than the mammoth tunnel project.

“Do something about the cost of Highway 407,” he suggested. “Whether it’s subsidy, whether it’s buying out the bad deal. Get people who are going through Toronto to bypass it.”

Former Chief Planner for the City of Toronto, Jennifer Keesmaat, said the tunnel idea would only make matters worse.

“Building more highways or tunnels only serves … to create a funnel, concentrating traffic and creating gridlock at the destination,” she wrote on X. “To alleviate traffic, we must prioritize efficient, high-capacity transit options, not highways, not tunnels.”

An X user named Kevin EcoLife thinks it’s a great idea. “This new driver and transit tunnel expressway under Highway 401 is a game-changer for commuters and businesses alike.”

Here’s a look at more of the varied reaction to the idea.

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