Ontario Highway Map

Description:
This map shows highways, lakes, cities, and towns in Ontario.

About Ontario Highways

The Highway System in Ontario represents one of the most extensive transportation networks in North America. At its core are the 400-series highways, a network of controlled-access freeways that form the backbone of Ontario's road infrastructure. These highways are characterized by divided roadways with a minimum of four lanes, no traffic lights, and specialized interchanges for entering and exiting.

The 400-series designation was introduced in 1952, with Highway 400 being the first fully controlled-access highway in Ontario. Today, the network includes 15 highways, spanning approximately 1,971.8 kilometers (1,225.2 miles) across the province. Highway 401, stretching 828 kilometers (514.5 miles) from Windsor to the Quebec border, is the longest and busiest highway in the network. In some sections through Toronto, it expands to an impressive 18 lanes, making it the widest highway in North America and one of the busiest in the world with over 500,000 vehicles daily on its busiest sections.

Most 400-series highways maintain a speed limit of 100 km/h (62 mph), though since 2022, several sections have been upgraded to 110 km/h (68 mph) as part of Ontario's highway speed pilot project. These highways feature advanced safety systems and design standards that have been adopted throughout North America, including the Ontario Tall Wall median barrier and the Parclo A-4 interchange design.

The network continues to evolve with ongoing expansions. Major projects include the extension of Highway 400 to Sudbury, the construction of Highway 413 (a new ring road around the Greater Toronto Area), and the implementation of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes across the system. By 2040, Ontario plans to have more than 450 kilometers of HOV lanes to improve highway efficiency and reduce congestion.

In addition to the 400-series, Ontario's provincial highway system includes other routes with varying design standards. Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), while not numbered in the 400-series (though internally referred to as Highway 451), is built to the same standards and connects Toronto with the Niagara Peninsula and the U.S. border. Highway 407 ETR stands as the province's only toll highway with an electronic toll system, though tolls were removed from Highways 407E, 412, and 418 in recent years.

According to statistics from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, these highways have one of the lowest accident and fatality rates relative to traffic volume in North America, despite carrying millions of vehicles daily.