GTA COMMUTERS ... HIGH OCCUPANCY TOLL LANES OPEN THURSDAY
Sep 14, 2016
By Bob Komsic
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Motorists, who come in from the west-end of the GTA, a reminder Canada’s first High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes will be available Thursday.
The province is opening HOT lanes on a 16.5-kilometre stretch of the QEW in both directions from Guelph Line in Burlington to Trafalgar Road in Oakville.
Vehicles with at least two occupants can still travel in them for free while drivers who travel alone can apply to purchase a permit.
Last month, Ontario received over 3,400 applications for HOT lanes permits.
A random draw was used to allocate 500 for the first term which runs September 15 to December 31.
Permit applications and renewals for the next term, January 1 to March 31, 2017, open November 1 and can be submitted online at Ontario.ca/HOTLanes.
The permits cost $180 for a three-month term and are renewable for a maximum of two terms.
Up to 1,000 permits will be made available for each three-month term.
A 15.5-kilometre stretch of dedicated HOT lanes on the 427 will open in 2021, from south of the 409 to north of Rutherford Road.
These lanes are part of a pilot project that’ll run for up to four years as the province plans a more efficient highway network.