Drivers travelling Highway 401 through Northumberland County will soon be able to travel at 110 kilometres an hour across the entire county.
The Ontario government has announced speed limits will increase from 100 to 110 km/h on an additional 938 kilometres of provincial highways between now and the end of September. Once complete, nearly 89 per cent of Ontario’s provincial highway network will carry a 110 km/h speed limit, up from about 43 per cent today.
For local motorists, the change closes a gap that remained between Cobourg and Colborne. In July 2024, speed limits were permanently increased to 110 km/h on Highway 401 from Highway 35/115 to Cobourg and again from Colborne through Belleville toward Kingston. The remaining section through Northumberland will now be raised to match, creating a continuous 110 km/h corridor across the county.
The province says speed limit increases are only being introduced on highways that have been designed and engineered to safely accommodate higher speeds following technical reviews and, where necessary, infrastructure improvements. Most of Ontario’s 400-series highways were originally designed for speeds of 110 km/h.
The Ministry of Transportation says the changes will be implemented gradually as new speed limit signs are installed over the coming months.
Officials also stress that the posted speed limit represents the maximum speed under ideal driving conditions. Motorists are still expected to slow down during poor weather, heavy traffic, construction or other situations where conditions make travelling at the posted limit unsafe.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
